Heroes of Millennia
by MillenniumPrincess
Summary: Yugi finally fulfills his promise and agrees to help the pharaoh uncover the mysteries of his ancient past. It's a new journey as the gang travels back in time for the ultimate Shadow Game. Heroes from the past and present must work together to save both worlds and the future. Retelling and altering of season five and same content from Children of Millennia.
1. Prologue

Prologue

In the dark of the night, the moon was bright and the streetlights were flickering. Bakura and Max were running through the streets in fear that they were being pursued. They finished crossing a street and Bakura tripped over a curve. As Max tried to help him up, they both heard a familiar voice. "And where do you think you're going?"

Bakura recognized that it was the voice of the evil spirit that controlled him. He quickly got back up and he and Max began running again. "This can't be happening, not again!"

Finally, they came to a small church nearby. "We should be safe in here," Max hoped. But the sanctity of the church cannot protect anyone from everything or everyone. The candles lit up and the sinister chuckling of the evil spirits filled the church. "Stop it! Stay away from us!"

"We can't do that," said the spirit that once controlled her. "We still have a mission to complete."

"Mission?" Bakura echoed.

"How quickly we forget," said his evil spirit. "Allow us to remind you; does the term 'Millennium Items' sound familiar? Well, you promised to help us obtain all seven. And at the moment, we only have one. But not to worry; my friend and I know where the others are. We just need someone to take us to them."

"And that's where you come in," his partner added. "After all, you're the vessels that allow us to exist in this world. Now stop resisting and join us."

"Never," Max protested.

"What makes you think we've given you a choice," asked the evil Bakura. "You will help us and the most powerful force that ever existed will be ours!"

"You can't force us!" Bakura cried.

"That's where you're wrong, mortal!" The windows shattered and the evil spirits cackled and their hosts cried out in fear. The evil Bakura spoke again and said, "I've waited long enough! The darkest Shadow Game in five millennia will now begin!"


	2. Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh

Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh

Emily spent the night at Yugi's house and together, they were listening to Solomon as he was telling another story of his adventures in Egypt. He came to the Valley of the Kings accompanied by two guides. One was timid and cautious while the other was more determined. Many people came to the Valley of the Kings to explore the tombs and seek treasure, but Solomon had a different purpose for coming. He heard that there was a tomb that he thought to contain the secret of the greatest game ever played. Though he wasn't interested in becoming rich, that didn't mean he wasn't looking for something. Nonetheless, his two guides brought him to the tomb and followed him inside; the tomb of the nameless pharaoh.

It didn't look like much with all of the usual ancient images and carvings. And by judging the skeletons on the floor, sure enough, no one had entered the tomb in the last five thousand years. The timid man saw serpent-shaped statues with rubies for eyes and wanted to claim them, but Solomon had a feeling there was a trap laid out. He tossed his toothpick towards the statues and needles came out of the snakes' mouths. More calm and collected than his guides, Solomon faced the traps like they were just games and puzzles. He crossed the room to avoid the trap with his two guides following behind.

At the end of the room, there was a large statue of the Egyptian God Horus and he was standing like he was guarding a door. Near the statue's legs was a blank panel, but when Solomon placed the torch near the panel, the fire revealed a message. The hieroglyphs read: ' _Beyond here lies the resting place of the great pharaoh. Only those who show respect may enter. All others will be engulfed by the Pit of Shadows._ ' Suddenly, a passage was revealed below everyone's feet. The entrance had been opened.

At the lower level, there was a maze with statues of Egyptian people carrying swords. It didn't look like a difficult maze to navigate through and the three men could clearly see the path to the other side of the room. But Solomon looked down and saw the Pit of Shadows. The timid man wanted to leave and said his life didn't depend on the trouble, but his determined partner wanted to stay behind to claim whatever treasure was being guarded. And based on the traps, it must be worthwhile. He tried to proceed, but he activated another trap, sealing the door and causing the walls to move. Solomon wasted no time and began walking through the maze, but as he stopped, the statues started moving like machines. They were waving their swords to ward off the intruders. When Solomon stepped back, the statues stopped too. Then he looked closely at the statues and remembered a valuable lesson in Egyptology. He remembered that pharaohs were respected and revered as the Egyptian Gods themselves and that all statues were carved with the left foot forward as a sign of respect. He passed the message to his guides and told them to walk with their left foot forward. They take his advice and carefully follow him. Sadly, the timid one gives in to his fears and steps back, causing the statue to attack him. He loses his balance and falls into the Pit of Shadows.

Solomon and his remaining guide come to another entrance containing another message reading: _'Ye shall now be judged by the creatures of the stone. Only the pure of heart are permitted to pass. All others will lose their souls to the darkness.'_ This next room looked as dangerous as the previous. There was only one path and it looked like a bottomless pit below. Solomon and his guide looked and saw what looked like a golden case resting on an arc and assumed it was some kind of treasure. Solomon was the first to start walking down the path, but he didn't want to haste. He knew right away that there was a powerful force at work. He also knew that his guide was blinded by greed, but he didn't know how far he was willing to go until he was attacked from behind. Solomon kept his hand on the path and was holding on for his life. As for his guide, well, the determined and cocky man didn't believe in magic or games and his greed and ignorance led him to his demise as a monster emerged from the stone and condemned him to the Shadow Realm. Solomon felt his grip fading, but he saw someone come to his rescue and help him back on the path. He looked around, but couldn't find anyone. Then the golden case started glowing and he wondered if perhaps the artifact inside was calling out to him. Solomon took it from the arc, vowing to always keep it safe.

And he always did after so many years. "And now the Millennium Puzzle is yours," he told his grandson.

"Wow, Grandpa," said Yugi.

"You really did all that?" Emily asked him.

Solomon chuckled. "I might have exaggerated just a bit. Now tell me, does this sudden interest in my old adventures have anything to do with tomorrow's trip?"

"Of course," Yugi answered. "Before we head off to Egypt, we want to learn everything there is to know about that place." The ancient tablets from the museum had been taken back to their resting place, but Yugi wouldn't let that stop him from helping the pharaoh to uncover the mysteries of his past.

Emily wanted to come along too for her connection to the past and wondered if she could learn anything more. Then she wondered, "Mr. Muto, I don't suppose you still remember where the pharaoh's tomb was, do you?"

"Can't say that I do," he replied, rubbing his chin. "I hired those two guides to find it for me, remember? The Valley of the Kings is bigger than you think and most of those caves look exactly the same."

"Ah, well," Emily sighed, sounding disappointed. "It's just that I was looking forward to seeing the spot where you found the Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi nodded. "Me too."

"Not a chance," his grandfather reprimanded, remembering how dangerous the tomb was. "Both of you stay out of that place." He softens his voice a little and pleads, "But if you don't mind, may I have one last look at the Egyptian God cards?"

"Again?" Yugi asked. "It's like your fifth time."

"But the thought of being without them for so long, it makes me so sad," Solomon said as tears began to fill his eyes. To keep him from acting like a child, Yugi brings out the case and lets his grandfather look at the cards once again. Cheerfully, Solomon takes the cards and looks at them in delight. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Yugi decides that that's enough and tries to take back the cards. "Can't you just leave them with me?" His grandfather begged. "Please, be a pal. I'll take care of them. You can trust me, Yugi."

Carefully, Emily takes the cards from his hands. "You know better than that," she scolded.

"The pharaoh needs these three cards," Yugi reminds him. "Without them, he'll never be able to unlock all the mysteries of his past."

Solomon apologized and remembered that it was what the pharaoh's been waiting for. That was why he saved his life back in the tomb. _For some reason, when the pharaoh's spirit was sealed away in that tomb, his memory was wiped clean. So he waited for five thousand years until fate brought him to Yugi and to reunite with Emily._ Solomon faces his grandson and tells him directly, "Listen, you're the one person with the power to help him regain everything he lost. Yugi, he who holds the Millennium Puzzle holds the legacy of the pharaoh. And believe me, that's no small task."

"I know."

"Good, my adventure's done. However, yours has just begun. Yugi, there's something I want you and Emily both to keep in mind out there."

"What is it, Grandpa?"

"Look, treat every challenge you face like a game," he advised. "Trust your instincts and you'll always come out on top." Yugi and Emily promised to do well to take his advice. Playing games is what they do best. Solomon was pleased that there were two children after his own heart. He stretched and yawned. "All right, get some rest. You've got a big day ahead."

"Good night, Gramps," Yugi and Emily said in unison. Yugi climbed into bed and Emily unrolled her sleeping bag and slipped inside.

The sound of the rain didn't bother them. They were sound asleep and dreaming. Normally, when Yugi and Emily would dream, they would keep their thoughts separate. Despite that they were bound together by Millennia's power, their minds weren't linked together the same way Yami and Yugi's minds were. That was why Yugi only spoke to Yami.

In his dream, Yugi was sitting on the roof of the school where he usually liked to hang out and think. Yami found him and asked, "Is everything all right, Yugi?"

"I'm just thinking about what Grandpa said," he replied. "You know, about fate bringing the two of us together. He said I was the only one who could help you."

"That's true."

"But ever since we've met, it seems like you've helped me much more than I've helped you. Think about it, before you came into my life, I spent all my time alone. I barely spoke to anyone. But when I put the Millennium Puzzle together, my entire life changed. You gave me the confidence I needed to be myself and to make new friends, friends that I'll have for the rest of my life. That's not all. I wouldn't be the duelist I am without you. Face it, teaming up with you is the best thing that's ever happened to me in my whole life."

Yami appreciated what Yugi was telling him. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_. I don't know where I'd be without you." He manages to smile and add, "I just hope I can return the favor."

Yami smiles and tells him, "But you already have. I was alone for nearly five thousand years until the day we met. And then your friends became my friends too. Not to mention you helped me to reunite with my lost daughter."

"I never thought of it that way."

"Well, it's true," his partner confessed. "Besides, you're about to do something for me that I could never do on my own, help me to regain my memory and unlock the mysteries of my past."

"Well, it's the least I can do."

"We make an excellent team," Yami said proudly.

Outside, Weevil and Rex were standing on the roof of the game shop and looking through the window. Weevil gripped a rock in his hand and used it to break the window. The sound of glass shattering woke Yugi and Emily up. "Oh, no," Emily cried, seeing Rex breaking in and taking Yugi's duffle.

"Go, they're awake," Rex cried to his partner.

"Stop," Yugi shouted. The two delinquents get down and knock the ladder over to keep him and Emily from following them.

"Come back!" the blonde girl shouted. There was no time to change clothes or put shoes on. Yugi and Emily had to stop Weevil and Rex. They knew that if the bag were to fall in the wrong hands, the whole world could be in danger.

The two delinquents stopped in an alley to catch their breath. "That was a joke," said Rex.

"I've got to have a look at these things," Weevil said, taking the duffle from Rex. He opened it in hopes of finding the Egyptian God cards. Aside from everything travel wise, the duffle also contained the Millennium Items Yugi acquired in Battle City. The Millennium Ring glowed and made its way to two dark figures at the end of the alley.

"Who's there," Rex asked, hearing sinister chuckling.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" Lightning flashes, revealing the two evil spirits controlling Bakura and Max. Weevil and Rex recognize them and warn them not to be after the Egyptian God cards too. But the evil spirits already found what they came to acquire.

Yugi and Emily stop running and hear screaming. They come to the alley and find Rex and Weevil lying on the ground motionless. "Who are you?" Emily asked.

"And what did you do to them?" Yugi added. The evil spirits turn around and face the two young warriors. "Bakura? Max?" He didn't want to forget about the situation at hand, so once again, he demanded to know what happened. "What have you guys done to them?" The spirits said nothing and just chuckled. "Answer me!"

Finally, the spirit controlling Bakura spoke and said, "These two delinquents received exactly what they deserved, Yugi. They took possession of something that didn't belong to them. So we banished their souls to the Shadow Realm."

"And I say the punishment fit the crime," his partner said.

Emily's eyes widened. "You sent them to the Shadow Realm?"

"You two should be showing a little more gratitude," the evil Max reprimanded. "After all, we've returned your belongings." She tosses the duffle to Yugi. He sets it down and takes out the case and sees that all three Egyptian God cards are still inside. "Well, most of them."

"What's that mean?" Yugi asked.

Her partner shows him the Millennium Ring hanging from around his neck. "Take a look. There was one item in your bag of tricks that I'm not quite ready to part with. Besides, it did belong to me at one time."

"Give it back," Yugi demanded.

"The Millennium Items belong together," said Emily.

"Eventually, they will be. In the meantime, why don't you concentrate on gathering the other Items instead of pestering us and when the time is right, we'll give you the Millennium Ring," the evil Bakura asked. "We may not be fond of each other, but we do share a common goal. We both want all seven Millennium Items back into their resting place, united once again within the Millennium Stone just as they were so long ago."

"We don't trust you," Yugi growled, "and we never will."

Emily tells the evil spirits their true motive. "We're collecting the Millennium Items so we can help my father save the world from destruction."

The evil spirit of the Ring chuckled. "And I gather you think that Max and I have a different goal in mind? Believe whatever you wish, Princess, but remember, we know certain things about the past that your father seems to have forgotten."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Emily. "What kinds of things are those?" He explains to her that when the seven Millennium Items return to the Stone, the border between the human world and the world beyond will be unlocked. Yugi and Emily face each other for one moment and figure that if such a place exists, then it could be where the spirit of the pharaoh belongs. "Are you telling us that when this doorway opens, my father will be set free?"

"You're catching on," Bakura tells her. "Now isn't that what you and Yugi want, Princess, to help your poor daddy? His spirit's been trapped in that Puzzle for five thousand years."

"Of course we want to help," she answers.

Unable to take anymore, Yami decides to take over. "That's enough. Both of you, stop poisoning Yugi and Emily's minds."

"Ah, Pharaoh, to what do we owe this honor?" Max asked. "Did you come here so we could bury the hatchet and join forces?"

"You know better than that," Yami growled.

The evil Bakura scowled. He assumed that the reason the pharaoh hated him and his partner was because they were more alike than different. To prove it, he explains that they're all ancient spirits possessing the body of an innocent mortal. The real major difference between the pharaoh and the evil spirits was that Bakura and Max remembered their past. Yami's mind was nothing but an endless labyrinth of questions. His life was nothing but mysteries and puzzles and the irony of finding the answers was by playing the game. It was ironic because that was how the evil spirits were going to turn this adventure; into one whole new game.

Yami wasn't sure if either of them were telling the truth, but he already promised himself that he would do whatever he must to unlock the mysteries and find the answers.

"Best of luck," said Bakura. "You're going to need it for when the ultimate Shadow Game begins. Enjoy your travels, Pharaoh and Princess." And he and his partner turn around and leave.

 _That encounter went exactly as planned_ , the spirit of the Cobalt Star shard wondered.

Her partner agreed. _Now on to phase two_. And he and his partner face each other and grin.


	3. Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual Awakening

Kaiba was sitting in his office wrapping up a few last minute reports when suddenly, the lights went out and his computer turned off. "Huh? Oh, great. The power's completely dead."

Just then, his computer turned on again and Max and Bakura showed up on the monitor. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it," asked Bakura.

"Can I help you with something?" Kaiba asked them. Max lifts Mokuba by the collar of his shirt and chuckles. "Mokuba!"

"I don't think he can hear you, Kaiba," she said to him.

"But perhaps if you came up here with your cards and duel disk, you'd have a bit more luck communicating." And the monitor closes and the screen turns black.

"No!" Kaiba shouts, hitting his palm against his desk. He gets out of his business suit and dresses into his dark clothes and white jacket. "If that freak wants a duel, I'll give him one he and his girlfriend will never forget." After strapping his duel disk on his left arm, he takes the elevator to the roof and finds his little brother unconscious.

"We would tell you where his soul is, but you don't believe in the Shadow Realm, right?" Max asked.

Kaiba carefully sets Mokuba down near the door. "Whatever you and your boyfriend did to my brother, you'd better undo. Did you understand me, Max? As soon as I defeat you guys, I want him back. Now let's get your little game over with."

The evil Bakura chuckled. "As you wish."

"You're about to regret this," Kaiba says, activating his duel disk. Bakura activates his as well and together, they cry out, "Let's duel!"

"Now for the fun part," Bakura says as shadows begin to covet the arena.

Seeing the troubled expression on Kaiba's face, Max asks with mock concern, "What's wrong? There's no such thing as magic, right? And all of those ancient visions you've been having, they don't exist either, do they?"

"Not that Egyptian speech again," Kaiba groaned. "When are you people going to realize that I focus on the future? I don't waste my time worrying about the past."

She chuckled in amusement. "That attitude of yours hasn't changed in over five thousand years."

"That's enough!" Kaiba shouted.

 _Just give us a little time, Seto Kaiba. We'll make a believer out of you,_ Max thought. _Before this Shadow Game comes to a close, not only will you accept your ancient heritage, you'll long to return to your roots._

Her partner makes the first move by playing Polymerization to merge Earl of Demise and Headless Knight together to form Duke of Demise, a zombie with 2000 attack points. "The rules forbid me to attack you. I suppose you got off easy this time, Kaiba."

"Please, it'll take a lot more than a rotting carcass with a sword to intimidate me. Now watch how it's done!" Kaiba summons Vorse Raider in attack mode. Though his monster was 100 attack points weaker, Kaiba wasn't finished. He played Shrink to cut his opponent's monster's attack points in half. Vorse Raider wasn't able to destroy the Duke of Demise, but Bakura still lost 900 life points because his monster was in attack mode. His special ability also costed Bakura another 500 life points. Bakura wasn't the least bit worried. He had bigger plans in store. The first thing he does is sacrifice his Duke of Demise to summon Diabound Colonel, a monster with 1800 attack points. After that, he plays a magic card called Spirit Illusion, creating an exact duplicate of the original.

He had his doppelganger attack first to weaken Kaiba's monster by 1800 attack points. The original one attacked afterwards and dealt 1700 points of damage. "I'll place this face down on the field. That ends my turn."

"No more Mr. Nice Guy," Kaiba says as he draws his card. "I play Lord of Dragons!"

Max grinned and said silently, "It's just as we planned."

"As long as Lord of Dragons is on the field, any Dragon I play is safe from all magic, trap, and monster cards," Kaiba explained. "Therefore, I activate the Flute of Summoning Dragon." Though Kaiba was permitted to summon up to two Dragons, he decided to only summon one and that was his trusty Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"That's just the card we hoped you'd play," Bakura whispered. "Now it's time for a little stroll down memory lane."

Kaiba began to feel a strange sensation. "What's going on?" Before his eyes, the same scene played out once again. He saw his ancient self kneeling before the tablet of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "What has he done to you, Kisara," he said to the white-haired girl he was holding. Looking at her with pain and sorrow, he silently vows, "In the name of the pharaoh, I will save thee." The scene ends, but the same feeling of sorrow still lingers. Kaiba snapped out of it and gasped. "Oh, no, it's that vision again." _My mind's playing tricks on me again just like when I dueled against Yugi_ , he wondered, recalling what happened in the Battle City finals. He shakes his head and tries to keep it together. _I'm not falling for that nonsense. Whatever happened in the past has nothing to do with me._

Max torments the brunette once again. "Kaiba, something wrong? Are you feeling all right?" she asks, pointing to Mokuba.

Kaiba begins to feel more relaxed once he looks at his brother. "I've never felt better. Now let's get back to the duel, shall we?" Blue-Eyes tried to attack Diabound with her White Lightning, but Bakura revealed a trap card called Spirit Shield. By removing a monster in his graveyard from play, Bakura was able to render his opponent's attack useless and it would stay that way as long as he had monsters in his graveyard. To end his turn, Kaiba plays a card face down.

Bakura makes his turn by playing Pot of Greed, allowing him to draw two cards from his deck. One of the cards is Grief Tablet and he uses it to seal Lord of Dragons in stone. And with Lord of Dragons sealed, he couldn't protect Blue-Eyes from Bakura's cards anymore. The doppelganger decreased her attack points to 1200 and the original Diabound was about to destroy her until Kaiba used his Attack Guidance Armor to redirect the attack to the Tablet his Lord of Dragons was sealed in. Destroying the Grief Tablet costed the brunette 500 life points, but he was able to save his Dragon. To end his turn, Bakura plays two cards face down. _I can sense your fear, Kaiba._

 _You rats are going to pay for what you did to Mokuba. No one messes with the Kaiba family and gets away with it._ Kaiba plays Card of Demise to draw four cards from his deck. He knows he'll have to discard his hand if five turns, but it's a card worth playing because one of the cards he drew was Soul Release and he used it to remove five cards from Bakura's graveyard. And with no monsters left, Spirit Shield was useless to Bakura. Kaiba plays Silent Doom to revive Vorse Raider in defense mode. He sacrifices Vorse Raider and Blue-Eyes because he knows it's the only way for him to restore his Dragon's attack points. The sacrifice is complete and Blue-Eyes returns with 3000 attack points. Her White Lightning destroys the original Diabound. And now that he was gone, his doppelganger would be destroyed as well.

Bakura reveals his two trap cards. The first is Rebirth Tablet, reviving Diabound from the graveyard. The second is Mirror Tablet. When Blue-Eyes White Dragon returned to the field with full power, the Mirror Tablet absorbed half of her attack points and transferred them over to Diabound, making him 300 attack points stronger. Diabound attacked the White Dragon, but she wouldn't be gone for good because Kaiba played Monster Reborn to bring her back to the field.

 _Oh, if he only knew what my Diabound had just accomplished_ , Bakura wondered. _By destroying his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, my creature was able to duplicate and absorb her power_.

 _I'd say mission accomplished_ , his partner figured. They both turned and saw that the sun was rising, meaning that their time with Kaiba was through. Not that it mattered, their business was done and they got what they wanted. "Oh, well, I guess you're in luck."

"You see, Kaiba, we have other business to attend to."

The brunette was outraged. "You're joking! You're leaving in the middle of a duel?"

"Trust me, we'll return soon enough to finish what we've started. Meanwhile, take this." He reaches into his coat pocket and takes out a small object and tosses it to Kaiba.

Kaiba catches it and gasps as he looks at it. "Hold on, didn't this belong to Pegasus?"

"Why, yes," the spirit of the Cobalt Star shard answered. "I believe he once used it to capture your soul."

"The Millennium Eye," the brunette muttered, remembering what happened in Duelist Kingdom.

"Excellent memory, Kaiba," said the spirit of the Ring. "It's a wonder you don't remember a thing about your ancient past. I'll tell you what, bring the Millennium Eye to Egypt and we'll give you a history lesson."

Kaiba refused. "I don't have time to run halfway around the world chasing a fairy tale. I have a company to run."

"So you're not interested in learning about why you share such a strong bond with your Blue-Eyes?" Max asked.

"Or why you care so much about Yugi and the princess?" her partner added.

"What does that mean?" the brunette inquired.

"The answers lie in the sands of Egypt," Max pauses for a second and finishes by saying, "Seto." She and her partner cackle and use their magic to disappear, leaving the brunette alone on the roof.

He growled and looked at the Millennium Eye once again. "Like I'm going to Egypt because two lunatics told me to." Then he remembered. Last weekend, he was paying his friends a visit and noticed that they were packing up to go to Egypt. He understood Yugi's reasons for going, but wasn't sure why Emily was going with him. She said it was because of her own ties to the ancient past and that she wanted to help in any way that she could. They asked Kaiba to come along for the same reason, but he reminded them that he had a company to run and a little brother to look after. But he still wished his friends well and asked them to send him a postcard and tell him about their adventure. They said they would and even promised to bring him a souvenir. But now after what happened, he changed his mind and wondered if Bakura and Max met up with Yugi and Emily too. If he could hurry, he could meet up with his friends at the airport.

Yugi and Emily made it through security and were on their way to the gate. A voice on the monitor spoke and announced that the flight to Cairo was now boarding and they had to hurry. Then they heard their names being called and saw Kaiba and Joey coming.

"Don't leave without us," said the blonde.

"We're coming to Egypt with you guys," the brunette told them.

Emily was delighted. "We knew you would."

"You kiddin', Em? We wouldn't miss this for the world," Joey tells her. "And besides, Kaiba paid for the tickets."

Kaiba dropped his briefcase and told Joey, "Try I lent you the money because you conveniently forgot your wallet."

"Uh, right, that's what I meant. And I'm gonna pay back every penny," the blonde lad promised. "In fact, my check's in the mail already."

Kaiba loosened up and turned his attention to Yugi and Emily. "The important thing is we're not letting you two take this trip alone."

Joey agreed. "We know how much this means to you and we wouldn't miss it."

"You guys are awesome," said Emily.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Kaiba said, picking up his briefcase. Everyone agreed and resumed their path to the gate.

 _I hope we're ready for this, Yugi,_ Yami wondered. _For it's so much more than just a trip to my homeland; it's a journey to my ancient past._

They boarded the plane and took their seats. Kaiba sat in the aisle across from his friends. Yugi sat near the window and Emily sat between him and Joey. _Pharaoh, I hope you find what you're looking for,_ Yugi prayed as he looked out the window.


	4. Memories of a Pharaoh

Memories of a Pharaoh

The next afternoon, their plane finally landed in Cairo. After hours of sitting in the same spot, everyone could finally get up and stretch their legs. The team disembarked and picked up their luggage. Joey yawned and stretched. "I just flew all the way to Egypt and, man, are my arms tired."

"Spare us, would you?" Kaiba groaned.

Emily stopped and noticed a small stand filled with souvenirs and knickknacks. "Hey, wait a second. I'll be right back."

"What? We haven't even left the airport and she's shopping already?" Joey asked as she walked up to the stand.

Emily admired the many different trinkets and finally knew which one to buy. "I'd like to buy," she paused and told the salesman, "that, right there," she said, pointing to the silver charm.

Kaiba groaned once again. "Oh, great. Everyone here knows we're tourists now."

"So are they," Emily replied, returning with her souvenir.

"Yugi, Emily, over here," a voice called.

Yugi and his friends turned and saw their old friends Marik, Ishizu, and Odion, who were waiting for them. "Hey, it's Marik. What's up?"

"Are you the welcoming committee?" Kaiba asked.

"Be nice," Emily scolded. "We haven't seen these guys in so long."

Marik agreed. "There's so much to talk about. Where do we begin?" Joey spoke up and decided it would be best to have lunch first.

Ishizu turned her attention to Yugi and asked, "May I speak with the pharaoh?" In answer, the Millennium Puzzle glows and Yami takes over. "My king, welcome. You have quite a long journey ahead and we're so honored to be your guides."

"Please, the pleasure's mine," said Yami.

Ishizu turns to Emily and tells her, "And my princess, we are honored to have you here with us as well. I knew that one day, we would meet again."

"I've really missed you, Ishizu," was all Emily could say to her.

"And I have missed you as well," Ishizu said and began hugging her.

With the pleasantries finished, the group stopped for a quick lunch and headed out to the desert afterwards. The group didn't like feeling cramped and cooped up again, but they ignored the situation and admired the different scenes as they were looking out the windows. Egypt was truly amazing with the pyramids and the sphinx.

The Ishtars brought everyone to a small tomb out in the desert. "Beyond this doorway lies the Tablet of Lost Memories," Ishizu said to Yami.

This was the moment he had been waiting for. _All the secrets of my past will finally be revealed._

Ishizu said that this was as far as she and her family were permitted to go. "You must enter without us."

"And when you reach the Tablet, hold up your Egyptian God cards and the gateway to your lost memories will open," her brother added.

"From here on, you must forge your own path, my pharaoh," said Ishizu.

Yami told them that he understood and began walking inside with his friends following him. Joey got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach and it wasn't from today's lunch.

Marik sighed and said, "Well, I guess our job as tomb keepers is finally complete. Our ancestors have awaited this for five thousand years."

His sister agreed. "There is a place where every soul must eventually return and the pharaoh has just begun the journey to his resting place."

Little did any of them know that the evils spirits tagged along for the trip. _That's right, Pharaoh. Open the gateway and seal your fate,_ the spirit of the Ring thought.

The stairwell seemed endless. Kaiba figured it was a little too old-fashioned and figured, "You'd think they could spruce this place up a bit."

Emily tried to stay positive. "Hey, for a five thousand year old sanctuary, it could be worse."

They all finally came before the tablets of their ancestors. "There it is," Yami was saying, "the Tablet of Lost Memories."

 _It's so sad,_ Emily thought to herself. _His spirit's been around for centuries, but his memory only goes back a few years. I mean, he had this whole other life in Ancient Egypt, but he doesn't remember any of it; not even his own name._ Then she got an idea. "Father, I want you to have this," Emily said, reaching into her purse and presenting him with the charm she bought at the airport.

Yami looked at it and asked, "What is it?"

"It's a cartouche," she answered. "The guy who sold it to me said ancient pharaohs used to carve their names on them."

Yami takes it from her and sees that there's no inscription on it. "But this cartouche is completely blank, Emily."

She knew and that was why she decided to buy it. "I figured that when you get your memory back, you can put your name there. That way, you can be sure you'll never forget it again." She pauses and continues, "I remember seeing an image of one on the Tablet, but the name on it was worn away. But hopefully soon, your life won't be a mystery anymore."

Yami couldn't thank Emily enough for being so thoughtful. "I don't know what to say. I'll never take it off," he promises, securing the chain around his neck.

"Maybe a 'thank you, sweetheart' will suffice," Kaiba muttered. Joey gently punched his arm.

Yami slightly smiled and refocused his attention on the Tablet. He takes the Egyptian God cards from his pocket and thinks to himself, _According to the prophecy, as soon as I raise the Egyptian God cards before the Tablet of Lost Memories, my mind will be unlocked and the secrets of my past will be revealed._ "This is it."

The evil spirits were ready too. They kept themselves steady at the stairs and silently chuckled. "The portions of our spirits we once infused within the Millennium Puzzle will finally be released and then the ultimate Shadow Game can begin," whispered Bakura.

"Go for it, Yuge," Joey encouraged. "No matter what happens, we're right behind you." Finally, Yami raised the three Egyptian God cards before the Tablet. As he did, a great light shined, blinding everyone. Yami felt like he was drifting away like he was being drawn into a strange portal. Unbeknownst to him, the spirit of the Cobalt Star shard and the spirit of the Millennium Ring were following him. Their planned worked. The dispatched their hosts and were drifting behind Yami.

The light finally stopped and everyone groaned as they were rubbing their eyes. "I take it that was _supposed_ to happen?" Kaiba questioned.

"I dunno," Joey replied. "But thanks to that light, I think I'm gonna be seeing double for weeks."

Emily saw Yugi sitting on his knees. "Yugi!"

"Are you all right?" Joey asked. "Hey, pal, can you hear me?"

He gets back on his feet and mutters, "He's gone."

"Say what?" Joey asked.

Kaiba finished rubbing his eyes and asked, "Who's gone? What are you talking about?"

"It's the pharaoh," Yugi answered. "He left."

"You're kiddin'!" gasped Joey.

"The boy is correct," said a familiar voice. "The pharaoh is now in the world of his memory."

Everyone looked around, wondering where the voice came from. Then Shadi appeared before the team. Yugi and Emily were surprised to see him and Joey remembered him from the pyramid in India. Kaiba was the only one in the group who had never met Shadi before. "It's been a while," said Emily.

"Yeah, well, how do we know we can trust him?" Kaiba asked.

"It's all right," Yugi assured him. "Shadi's the guardian of the Millennium Items."

Yami continued to drift through the portal until he found himself looking down at the city of Egypt. He was astonished at what he was seeing, but a second later, he was transported once again. He opened his eyes and saw himself standing on the palace balcony dressed in his royal garb. "Where am I?" Yami asked himself.

"This is a glorious day for all of us, my king," said a familiar voice.

Yami turned and saw Queen Mystery standing beside him holding an infant. "Queen Mystery?"

"Hear our people cheer as they welcome our new princess."

"Did you say… princess?" he asked her. He faced the public again as they continued to cheer and give praise. Then they all got down to the ground to bow and kneel.

The royal advisor, Shimon, presented himself to Yami and Mystery. "My king and queen, we've prepared a ceremony in honor of the birth of your daughter. Might I suggest you settle down and enjoy the festivities?"

Mystery was delighted, but Yami was puzzled and didn't know what was going on. He followed the queen to the throne room and silently asked himself, "Did I actually travel back in time?"

When they both sat down in their seats, Shimon raised his voice and said to the royal subjects, "Hail to the new princess, the new heiress of the Great Goddess Millennia."

Looking at the subjects, Yami saw that they all looked very familiar to him. "Joey? Kaiba? Ishizu?"

The queen heard him and wondered, "Whomever are you talking to?"

The subject who shared Kaiba's countenance sensed that Yami seemed a little troubled, so he spoke up and suggested, "My pharaoh, perhaps we should postpone the celebration."

Yami pulls himself together and insists, "That won't be necessary. Please carry on."

His wife agreed. "You have all worked so hard to prepare this lovely day for all of us. There is no reason to let it be for nothing."

So the celebration would continue as planned. Seto, the same subject from before, raised his voice and announced, "The time has come. In honor of her arrival, let us all welcome her newest excellence home with the ceremonial festival of the daughters of Millennia!"

Performers and entertainers played music and danced to amuse the royal family and many of the other subjects ate and drank to their heart's content while they were engaging in friendly conversation. _All of these people work for me and my family?_ Yami wondered. Looking at his subjects, he saw that six of them had the Millennium Items in their possession. There was Seto, who held the Millennium Rod, his childhood friend Mahad, who held the Millennium Ring, his mentor Aknadin, who wielded the Millennium Eye, Isis, who wore the Millennium Necklace, Karim, who held the Millennium Scale, and Shada, who held the Millennium Key. "What's this? Each one of you holds a Millennium Item?" he asked out loud.

Mystery moves closer to her husband and whispers in his ear, "Have you forgotten? These are the six members of our sacred court. They were chosen by the Great Goddess Millennia herself, each one destined to wield her treasures and call upon her in the name of Egypt."

Out in the desert, two soldiers were taking two thieves they captured back with them to the palace. Their captives weren't making the trip very easy by always collapsing from the desert heat. The soldiers complained about the trouble they were being caused and were losing their patience when suddenly, a strange light came down and attacked them. It was the evils spirits who had returned to reclaim their vessels.

"It worked," Bakura said as he got on his feet. He saw that his arms were still in shackles and figured, "Of course, by the looks of these chains, it appears our timing could have been better."

"Well, regardless, our journey to the ancient past was a success," said his partner. They both turn around and see their servants coming towards them. Two young girls approached their masters and commanded their Magical Creatures to free Max and Bakura from their shackles. Crysta the Frosslass uses her Ice Beam to freeze the chains and Mei-Mei the Murkrow uses her Steel Wing to destroy them.

"You are free, Masters," the girls told their masters.

"I see that," Bakura said without much gratitude. "Now if memory serves me, there's work to be done. It's been a long time, but I remember this day from my past quite clearly. In your case, I've waited forever for this day. It's the day the daughter of the great pharaoh was born. And last I checked, the royals and I have some catching up to do."

As the celebration continued, Yami tried to put all of the pieces together. From what he had learned from the visions of his past and from the different challenges he faced, it all started when his daughter was born, so he wasn't surprised to see her as an infant. He had gone back to the beginning, but even so, he wasn't sure if it was all real or just a dream. It seemed very real considering all of his senses seemed to work and he was communicating with everyone. _Have I actually been transported back in time or is all of this just happening in my mind? The people here are so familiar to me. Perhaps my experiences from the 21_ _st_ _century have somehow affected my memories of the ancient past. Or could it be that these people really did live five thousand years ago? Take Joey and Kaiba, for instance. They always seemed to have a connection to Ancient Egypt and the fact that their images were etched on those tablets can hardly be a coincidence._

Mystery had a hard time figuring out what was coming over her husband. _I don't understand. This morning, he was so happy and thrilled. Now it's like he has no idea what's going on, like his mind is somewhere else_. She wanted to talk to him and ask him if everything was all right, but decided not to worry about it and that it would fade.

Isis' Millennium Necklace started reacting, meaning the Great Goddess was conveying a warning. She turned and gasped, seeing a stranger nearby and carrying a weapon. "Mahad, the princess," Isis warned. He heard her and saw the man getting ready to attack. The man blew and a poison dart flew out. To protect himself and the child he was holding, Mahad held up his cape like a shield.

"Guards, stop that intruder now," Seto commanded. "He is getting away!" Soldiers stopped the man from escaping and brought him out of hiding. The queen jumped out of her seat and took her child back from Mahad. "Bring this scoundrel before the pharaoh and queen," Seto ordered, and the man was brought to the middle of the throne room with his hands tied back.

"Assaulting the newborn princess of Egypt is unforgivable," Isis reprimanded.

"We are in the midst of a sacred celebration," Joseph scolded. "Cast this man to the dungeon!"

But Seto told them all to wait. "I have a better idea. Let us use this rogue to demonstrate Millennia's power to the princess." Perhaps not necessarily demonstrate, but to use the powers of the Great Goddess for her.

Nonetheless, the queen granted Seto's request. "Commence with the Millennium Trial on this man's soul."

"A Millennium Trial," Yami questioned.

His wife nods. "Yes, my king. Often with a position of great power comes great danger. And those who disrespect and threaten the rulers of Egypt must be dealt with accordingly."

"But you and your family need not be alarmed, Pharaoh," Isis assured him. "We, the guardians are here to ensure your safety at all times."

In the Millennium Trial, the six sacred guardians used the Millennium Items to judge the man's soul. Using the Millennium Key, Shada found a Shadow Creature lurking in his soul. Using the Millennium Eye, Aknadin revealed and extracted the monster from within. As Yami watched and continued to ask questions about what was happening, Mystery explained to him that a Shadow Creature was detected inside the intruder. Little was known about these creatures of darkness except that they were believed to have been born from the will of the Dark Lord and that they fed on the anger and hatred of humans. In order to survive, these monsters force their host to commit acts of evil to create more darkness to feed upon. Unable to destroy the monsters, the sacred guardians use the Millennium Items to seal them in stone tablets. Looking at the tablets, Yami wondered if they were the same tablets he saw from his visions. Finally, at the end of the Trial, Seto used the Millennium Rod to capture the beast and seal it away.

"Well done, Master Seto," said Joseph.

"Thank you, Joseph. Now that we are done with him, you may banish this fool to the dungeon as requested."

But Aknadin wouldn't allow it. "We have extracted the darkness from his heart. Therefore, it is our duty as followers of Millennia to let this man walk free." It was true. It was their job not to punish, but to help. The man was innocent because he was under the control of a monster and now that the sacred guardians had saved him from the dark influences controlling him, he could walk out a free man. So Aknadin told the soldiers to escort the man outside.

Rather than feel disappointed, Seto had other thoughts to consider. He turned his attention to his old friend and reminded him, "If I am not mistaken, Mahad, palace security is your responsibility. Perhaps you would like to shed some light on this afternoon's events? How did that intruder make it past the royal guard?"

Mahad couldn't debate on the matter. He confessed that the fault that this happened was his and he alone had to take responsibility for it. "My apologies, Pharaoh and Queen. The Millennium Ring has been behaving quite strangely as of late, making it difficult to detect criminal activity. I cannot help but wonder if perhaps the Great Goddess is troubled. But I cannot blame her for my faults. To make up for my wrongdoings, might I have your permission to increase security forces to fortify the city?"

"Yes, of course," Yami replied. He and the others couldn't afford any more attacks. _Who was that intruder and will there be others? Why did he try to attack Emily? Was he after the Millennium Star?_

Yami's thoughts were interrupted when Shimon asked him, "Pharaoh, might I suggest we continue with the festivities as quickly as we possibly can?"

"What?" Yami silently asked. "My daughter was just attacked!"

"That's true, but if your followers sense your fear, they too, will feel unsafe. And the best way to hide that fear is with merriment and laughter," Shimon explained and began tickling the princess to make her laugh. The idea was to make her as happy as possible so her parents wouldn't show fear or concern. And with the pharaoh and queen relaxed, their subjects would be too. And it would be easy because being an infant, the princess didn't know what it meant to fear anything. So as long as she was happy and able to show it, there would be nothing to worry about. Yami decides to take his advisor's word for it and try to relax and continue the celebration.


	5. Journey to the Past

Journey to the Past

In the modern era, Yugi and his friends asked Shadi if he could tell them what was going on. He answered and said, "The pharaoh must relive his past. It's the only way he can fulfill his destiny. But this journey is a gift as well as a curse."

"What do you mean, Shadi?" Emily asked.

He elaborates on the matter and explains, "The pharaoh will finally learn all the mysteries of his past, but he must defeat the great evil all over again."

"That's not fair," Emily protested. "We have to find him and bring him back to the present!"

Shadi shakes his head. "You cannot. Now that he is in the world of his memory, the only way he may return is by reigning victorious."

"Victorious at what?" Joey inquired.

"The ultimate Shadow Game," Shadi answered. "A battle that decides not only his own fate, but the fate of the entire world."

"Hold on," Kaiba was saying, "the pharaoh came here to find out who he really is, not to put his life in dire jeopardy again."

Joey tried to grab Shadi by his cloak, but his hand went through him. He thought it was a trick, but Shadi clarified that he was an ancient spirit. Startled, Joey hid behind Kaiba and asked, "Why am I the only one who's freaked out that we're talking to a ghost?"

"Joey, let him speak," said Emily.

"My earthly body was destroyed by two terrible tomb robbers named Bakura and Max," Shadi explained.

"Bakura and Max," Everyone gasped. "Are you sure?"

He was speaking the truth. "They were also ancient spirits; wandering souls, if you will. But they want to use Millennia's power for evil."

"To do what," Yugi asked.

"To unleash a creature of ultimate darkness," Shadi answered. "And so when the pharaoh began the journey to the realm of his memory, the spirits of Max and Bakura followed him."

"Wait, so Bakura and Max are back there with the pharaoh?"

"That's right. They plan to use Millennia's power to dominate the planet."

"No, they can't!" Yugi cried.

"Well, the pharaoh beat them the first time, right?" Joey asked.

But his friends had to be realistic about the matter. Kaiba spoke first and explained, "Just because it happened in the past doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen the same way again."

Emily understood and stated the bigger problem behind it all. "I hate to say it, guys, but if the past is destroyed, so is the future!"

Yugi saw that his friends were right and knew what had to be done. "We have to go back to the past and make sure that the pharaoh defeats Bakura and Max."

But the journey wouldn't be easy. Yugi and his friends couldn't take the same route Yami did since the Egyptian Gods wouldn't open the path for them. But Shadi knew another way and explained that the way to entering the world of the pharaoh's memory was through a doorway inside the Millennium Puzzle. But he warned everyone that the task of finding the door wouldn't be easy with all of the false starts and dead ends and traps. "I will guide you through your journey, but when you wish to return, I'm afraid you're on your own."

Of course, finding the way back is different than treading down the path to the destination. But Yugi and his friends were used to the situation and decided to take it. "We've got no choice," Joey was saying. "Now let's do this, Yuge."

Emily agreed. "All for one and one for all."

Yugi appreciated their support, but he didn't want to put his friends in harm's way again. "Thanks a lot, really. But I'm doing this on my own."

"Are you nuts?" Kaiba asked him.

He was serious. "Look, guys, I've put all of your lives in danger enough times already. This is something that I need to do for the pharaoh and I'm going to do it on my own."

Of course, neither of his friends would take 'no' for an answer. "You should realize by now that you can't ditch us that easily," Joey tells him.

"We've stuck with you on every adventure for the last four years," said Emily.

"You think we're going to stop now?" Kaiba asked. So it was decided that the whole group was going. Shadi told them all to hold hands and concentrate so they could pool their energy. Using the power of the Millennium Key, he transports everyone inside the Millennium Puzzle.

Kaiba is the first to look around. It was his first time in the Millennium Puzzle and he was intrigued. But he couldn't ignore his friends. "Yugi, wake up," he softly called, nudging him.

Yugi opened his eyes and came to. "Are you okay, Kaiba?"

The brunette nods and shakes Joey and Emily. "All right, rise and shine, you two."

Emily came to as well. "Where are we?"

"We're inside the Millennium Puzzle," Yugi reminded her.

"This place seems bigger than last time," said Joey. "Did you do some remodeling?" But Yugi remembered that what made this labyrinth look so complicated was that it reflected Yami's mind and that all the false starts and dead ends resembled his questions and concerns. That was why it looked different from before. Nonetheless, the team decided to head out to find their friend.


	6. Back to the Beginning

Back to the Beginning

In the ancient past, Bakura and Max were on the move and ready to attack. On their way to the palace, they commanded their servants and monsters to attack the city. The thieves slipped past the guards and made it to the throne room. "Pardon the interruption, but apparently, someone left us off the guest list," said Bakura. "I hope we didn't miss the rest of your little party."

"Bakura and Max," Yami growled. Frightened, many of the royal servants left the throne room. "What do you want from me?"

"Now is that any way to speak to an old friend, your highness," Bakura asked mockingly. "I believe you know what we came here to acquire."

"The Millennium Items and the Millennium Star," he assumed.

Bakura grinned. "So you have been paying attention to us after all these years, haven't you?"

Joseph and the others weren't sure what this was about, but he couldn't forget the courses of action that needed to be taken against the two thieves. "You two are trespassers and must be punished!"

"Not so fast," Bakura debated. "We reside in the outskirts of your little kingdom, so your rules don't apply to us. We are simply here to see the newborn princess. We even come bearing gifts for her." And he and Max throw gold treasure in the air. The royals had recognized that they were goods stolen from the royal tombs. Seeing that they're not pleased, Bakura and Max decide to show them a little something extra. They place their fingers close to their teeth and whistle to call for their dogs. Looking at them, Yami recognizes that they're canine Pokémon called Mightyena, Arcanine, and Houndoom. The dogs come running and bring with them the sarcophagus of the previous pharaoh, King Aknamkanon.

Yami and Mystery were both outraged and declared for a Millennium Trial to begin. Soldiers came and brought forth two stone tablets and the sacred guardians were ready to judge the souls of the thieves. But this wouldn't be like last time. There was no limit to the darkness in their hearts and the guardians knew right away that Bakura and Max possessed powerful and dangerous Shadow Creatures. Everyone's suspicions were starting to be confirmed when Bakura summoned Diabound and Max called upon her Angel of Death. Seto tried to seal them in stone tablets, but his efforts were in vain. The monsters were too powerful to be contained. Based on what Mystery was witnessing and the great evil she sensed coming from the two thieves, she knew right away that they were followers of the Dark Lord Cobalt. Bakura even revealed that he was the Dark Lord's true heir, but Max kept quiet about holding the Cobalt Star.

Now that the sacred guardians knew what they were up against, they knew that the only way to subdue their enemies was to face them in a Shadow Game. Joseph even decided to help out. They activate their diadianks, the golden devices on their left arms and summon their own monsters. Yami sat back and watched in amazement. To him, the diadiank was what he considered an ancient version of the modern day duel disk and he was witnessing what he thought to be one of the first Shadow Games. This was how it all began. While the monsters had been around thousands of years before this time, this time was when the Shadow Games began.

The way the fight was going, the heir of Cobalt was not willing to make it easy for his opponents. The Angel of Death defeated Joseph's Garoozis and Bakura summoned Winged Sage Falcos to attack and destroy Seto's Goresgoloth. The sacred guardians were aware of who their opponent was, but figured he was mad to be fighting like this. But having Cobalt's powers and being his children gave Bakura and Max complete control and they weren't meddling with forces beyond their comprehension.

Bakura didn't appreciate that Shadow Creatures were being used against the Dark Lord. To him, that meant that Millennia's followers were using the power of the evil they claimed to be fighting; especially when he added the Millennium Items into the matter. He and Max explained that their village was destroyed by the order of the previous pharaoh in order to create the Millennium Items. But the guardians protested that their former leader was a follower of Millennia who saved Egypt from the wars that threatened their country and that he created the Millennium Items to continue fulfilling her wishes and preserve harmony. But the thieves knew very well that the Millennium Items were filled with the same dark magic their enemies claimed to be fighting and that they knew all of the secrets.

But everyone decided to continue the battle instead of the debate. Seto and Joseph summoned new Shadow Creatures with the help of the rest of their friends. Mahad summoned Illusion Magician and attacked the Winged Sage. To Max, that was nothing. She displayed her monster's power by attacking and destroying the monsters summoned by Aknadin, Karim, and Shada all at once. The royals needed a new alternative. Mahad figured he could use his magic to trap and weaken Diabound and the Angel of Death, but Seto didn't want him to take that chance yet. He and Joseph decide to give their tag team efforts another try by combining their monsters. That was where Karim came in. He used his Millennium Scale to merge Battle Ox and Mystic Horseman together to form Rabid Horseman. Seto ordered their new monster to attack. Bakura groans of impatience and orders his Diabound to counter attack. Little did he realize that he was being lured into a trap. Mahad wasted no time and commanded his Illusion Magician to trap Diabound in his Binding Illusion. It seemed like it was working, but Mahad's magic wasn't strong enough to hold his opponents off. When Bakura and Max landed another attack, Isis stepped in and ordered her monster to defend everyone. It was a fairy named Spiria and she created a shield to block the attacks. But the shield was too weak to hold them off and was destroyed.

The royals were starting to feel weak, but they refused to allow their opponents to put them down. Max and Bakura, however, weren't feeling tired at all. At the same time, they knew they weren't getting much of a fight and figured this was all just a waste. But they also figured they could get what they wanted by taunting the pharaoh and queen and saying what weak subjects they had.

Yami had enough and wasn't going to stand for any more fighting. Mystery felt the same way and she jumped out of her seat. "Leave this palace before we remove you!"

"Pharaoh and Queen?" Aknadin asked.

"Please allow us to battle these intruders for you," Seto pleaded, though he knew he and the others were weak and wouldn't be able to take much more.

Yami and Mystery knew just as much and refused to let them keep fighting. "Bakura, is this the ultimate Shadow Game you and Max spoke of, trespassing on sacred ground and tarnishing the very name of my ancestors and my wife's?" Yami asked him. "The both of you have always been despicable, but now you've reached a new loathe!"

Bakura scoffed. "Please, Pharaoh. All of a sudden you care about your ancestors? Admit it; you don't even know the first thing about them or even your wife's! But here, maybe this will jog your memory." And he shoves the sarcophagus, making it slide across the floor.

Shimon got down to the sarcophagus and began weeping. "King Aknamkanon, I never imagined your return to the palace would be so disgraceful," he sobbed. He faces Yami and Mystery and tells them, "I'm sorry you had to see this, Pharaoh and Queen, but we cannot let these two monsters continue to dishonor our heritage by spouting false accusations and lies! And you mustn't believe what they say about out former pharaoh. He was kind and just. Please trust me," he begged.

Yami did trust Shimon's words and said so himself. As he looked at the sarcophagus and barely touched it, he thought he heard a voice saying, _"Justice lies with the Egyptian Gods."_ Hearing that, Yami wondered if it was the answer to defeating Bakura and Max.

Bakura cleared his throat to get Yami's attention. "Pharaoh, I'm sure you and the former king have a lot of catching up to do, but we are in the middle of something. And not to mention you and your wife interrupted us at the best part, just when our Diabound and Angel of Death were about to deliver the finishing blow, forcing you all into submission. Now, any last words before Max and I destroy you and seize Millennia's power?" When he didn't get an answer, Bakura cried, "Good. Diabound, Angel of Death, bring us victory!"

"Stop right there!" Mystery demanded.

"Too little, too late," Max laughed. "Finish them off!" And their monsters begin to attack.

"Hold on, there's something the both of you seem to have forgotten," Yami tells them. "Allow me to remind you, I can call upon the Egyptian Gods!"

Everyone was shocked to hear him say that. "What does he mean?" Mahad asked.

"Could it be the legendary God monsters?" Joseph wondered.

Mystery faces her husband and asks him, "My love, are you referring to the three divine beasts resting in the temple?" She looks away and silently tells herself, "The scriptures state that only the chosen pharaoh will know the names of these legendary monsters." Her eyes widened. "Wait, does that mean," she faces him again and asks, "you are the chosen king in the prophecy?"

Whether or not he was, Yami had the power to summon them. He called upon the Egyptian Gods in the name of the pharaohs who came before by raising his arm and summoning Obelisk the Tormentor. As amazed as Mystery was, she couldn't just stand by and watch. She helped out by summoning Rainbow Dragon. Max and Bakura couldn't believe what was going on, but they knew how to protect their monsters. Diabound combines his strength with the Angel of Death's and uses the power of Blue-Eyes to attack. Obelisk attacked with his Fist of Fury and Rainbow Dragon attacked with her Rainbow Ray. As the attacks kept going, the entire palace was shaking.

The attacks finally subside and everyone sees that all four monsters are still standing. "This is impossible!"Aknadin exclaimed. "Their powers are equal!"

"They withstood the assault of an Egyptian God!" gasped Seto.

"And a legendary Dragon, no less," Joseph added, sounding impressed and worried at the same time.

Bakura withdraws his monster and thinks, _Had I not acquired the attacking power of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon and combined my power with yours, our Diabound and Angel of Death could have been destroyed._

His partner agreed and withdrew her monster as well. _We'd best be taking our leave for now._ She speaks and tells Yami and Mystery, "This isn't over, Pharaoh and Queen."

Bakura faces Mahad and gives him a direct warning. "And you, I believe it's Mahad. Don't grow too fond of that Item around your neck. I have a special, shall we say, attachment to the Millennium Ring. At one time, it was mine."

Mahad growls and protests, "The Great Goddess bequeathed her Ring to me, so you lie!"

"It is destined for me," Bakura argued. "In fact, all seven Millennium Items and the Millennium Star have been fated to fall into my hands. Just you wait." And he and Max turn around and take their leave.

"Stop!" Mystery ordered. She didn't want to keep fighting anymore, but she didn't want the heir of Cobalt on the loose and causing mayhem in Egypt.

"We mustn't let them escape," said Aknadin. While he tells the guards to pursue the two thieves, Yami and Mystery head to the balcony and see Bakura and Max fighting their way out. Finally, the thieves get on their horses and begin riding through the city with their dogs following them.

 _So I was sent back to relive these events all over again?_ Yami wondered. He faced the sky and saw what looked like a pyramid. "Shimon, tell me, what is that strange object in the sky?"

Mystery was confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Up there, that pyramid," he tells her, pointing to it.

Shimon and Mystery look in his direction, but don't see a pyramid of any sort. "I'm sorry, Your Excellency. I don't see anything," Shimon apologized.

"But it's right there in plain sight," said Yami.

Now the queen was starting to get concerned. Her husband's behavior was making her wonder if he was beginning to lose it. "Pharaoh?"

"Let's go in," advised Shimon. "It's been a long day."

"Very well," Yami said, seeing as there was no point in arguing. He looked at the pyramid and figured, _I'm sure it has something to do with Max and Bakura's Shadow Game, but why can no one else see it?_

Seto and Joseph stood by the doorway, still amazed about what happened. Joseph whispers to Seto and asks him, "Is he truly the chosen pharaoh the scriptures speak of?"

"He must be if he can summon and control an Egyptian God," Seto whispered in answer.

"My king and queen," Mahad tells Yami and Mystery, "you fought bravely."

Joseph agreed. "Thanks to you,"

"We can all rest well," Seto finished, and he and Joseph lower their heads and bow. It made Yami wish that Joey can Kaiba could see themselves cooperating as they were fighting bravely at his side.

While Yugi and his friends were exploring the corridors of the Millennium Puzzle, Kaiba stopped in his tracks, swearing he could have heard the White Dragon's cry. He reached into his pocket and took out his deck to look through the cards. "Can this really be more than just a card game," he asked himself as he looked at his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He put his cards back in his pocket and felt something hard. It was the Millennium Eye and he forgot he had it. "Don't think I'm going to let you change my mind. I am not telling my friends what happened." He groaned and muttered, "Look at me; I'm talking to some golden antique eyeball." Kaiba was starting to think he was going crazy, but as he gazed into the Millennium Eye, he could have sworn he could see something. It was a scene of his ancient self standing next to Joey's ancient self before the pharaoh and queen. He lost his grip on the Millennium Eye and gasped. "No way, it's a trick!"

Joey turns around and asks him, "You okay, Kaiba?"

The brunette shakes his head and pulls himself together. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

But it wasn't nothing. Emily saw the Millennium Eye and picked it up. "Hold on, is this-?" It was, the Millennium Item Pegasus once possessed. "Kaiba, where did you get this?"

Kaiba now knew that he had no choice but to tell his friends. "Before I ran into you guys, Bakura and I had a duel. I was about to beat him, but he and Max decided to just walk out. Before they left, they gave me the Millennium Eye. They said if I came to Egypt, Bakura and I could pick up where we left off. But now I'm starting to see that they tricked me to get me to come with you on this journey."

Even if that was true, Kaiba would have still been forced to join his friends by the hands of fate. He was still in it to finish his match with Bakura, but that was the least of his problems right now. Kaiba told his friends to forget about it and that they needed to continue looking for Yami. His friends agreed and continued to explore the labyrinth.


	7. Try to Remember

Try to Remember

Even though Yami was beginning to understand why he was transported back to this certain period, he still had questions about what else would be in store. Reliving the past meant facing the battles he fought before; including the Battle of the Gods. That made him worry about the future and have great uncertainties. With no memories of what happened the first time, how would he know what to do this time? _If I'm unable to save mankind, what will become of the future_? Yami looked at the cartouche in his hand and at the sky again. _The safety of my friends and family depends upon me. Yugi, Emily, I'll do whatever I can to protect you._

Yugi and his friends continued to wander through the labyrinth of the Millennium Puzzle. "Every doorway looks the same," Kaiba said as he came to another door. "And every time I open one, I find several more."

"Even the doors have doors?" asked Joey.

Emily stopped and looked at her wristwatch, seeing that it stopped working. "Hey, guys, either the batteries on my watch just died or time is somehow standing still."

Joey looked at her watch too. "Hey, she's right."

"Guys, this place is starting to freak me out," Kaiba moaned. "If we don't get out of here soon, I'm going to lose it."

"Hold on, that's the way out," Joey said, pointing at the door in front of him. "I may not have a Millennium Item, but I do have instincts and I say we break that door down."

"Joey, wait," Yugi called, but his best friend charged for the door and opened it. But as he got through, there was no more ground below his feet. To keep himself from falling, Joey turned around and caught the ledge. "That's weird," Yugi was saying. "How can he be up there and down here?"

"Let's ask questions later," Kaiba said, grabbing Joey's arm and pulling him back.

Shadi warned Joey once more. "Many doorways within the chasms of the Millennium Puzzle contain traps."

"You might want to tell us that sooner next time!" Joey shouted.

"He did," Emily reminded him. "You obviously weren't paying attention."

Kaiba got an idea. "Wait a second. There's no one closer to the pharaoh than Yugi is, right? Maybe if you concentrate hard enough, you can figure out what door he's behind."

"I'll try," Yugi said, "But ever since his spirit left the Puzzle, I haven't been able to sense him at all."

"Just try, Yuge," said Joey. "It may be the only chance we've got."

Yugi tried calling out to Yami. "Pharaoh, can you hear me? We're all inside the Millennium Puzzle and we're trying to find you." Not hearing a response, he raises his voice and tries again. "Pharaoh, are you out there? Hello? Pharaoh!"

But Yami couldn't hear him at all. He remained on the palace balcony lost in his own thoughts. _It's strange, everyone seems to know me quite well, but I have no memory of them. What did all of these people mean to me when I was pharaoh? Did I consider them my friends or where they merely my servants._ On that note, he began taking Emily and Mystery into account and wondered how much he loved them, if he really did at all. He'd have to or else he wouldn't have a family. If only he could remember how much he loved them.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Mystery's voice. "Pardon me, my pharaoh."

Yami turned and saw her lowering her head and holding her hands together. "Is everything all right?" He pauses and wonders how he should address her. _What should I say?_ He clears his throat and says, "My queen."

She stands up straight and tells him, "My king, please accept my apologies for the interruption, but it is not wise of you to be outside alone."

Then Yami wondered if spending a little quality time with his wife would help him to remember. He smiled and told her, "Perhaps you're right. It's not safe here. We should go."

"Yes. Stay close; especially after today," Mystery cautioned. She really didn't feel safe now that her nemesis was on the move. It made her feel like a child wanting to hide behind someone strong and who would be able to protect her and her husband was the bravest and strongest person she knew. She hoped that being with her husband would help her to relax. They left the balcony and decided to take a walk outside. "One can never be too cautious," Mystery told herself. "Perhaps overprotective, but never too cautious." She had been taught to always be aware of her surroundings and keep her eyes and ears open.

They stop and hear a clattering sound as they come to a jar. "Did you hear that?" Yami asked.

"Stay behind me," Mystery cautioned, worried that whatever was inside may come out to attack. From inside, a young girl with dark brown hair and turquoise eyes jumped out and laughed with her Pokémon friend. It was a young magician named Mana and the little Pokémon was a mythical one known as Jirachi. They were a duo and loved to make merry and play together. Mana landed in Mystery's arms and wrapped herself around the queen to hug her while Jirachi was clinging to Yami's face to hug him. "Mana, Jirachi," Mystery gasps, setting the magician down and pulling the Pokémon away. "What are you doing?"

Jirachi stops laughing and asks, "What? We can't pay a visit to our two oldest friends?"

"We just miss you, that's all," said Mana. "Ever since your new daughter was born, we haven't been able to talk at all," she groaned, sounding like a child.

"It has only been one day," Mystery reminded them.

Yami was beginning to figure out who the magician and the Pokémon were. "You're Mana and you're Jirachi," he said, trying to remember. "And we all grew up together."

Jirachi giggled once more. "I know we haven't spoken in a whole day, but you didn't forget either of us, did you? After all the adventures and battles we faced together."

"And after all these years of training and practicing magic together," Mana added. "I mean, we're all one big family."

The way Mana and Jirachi were talking to the pharaoh and queen, they sounded like children seeking their parents' attention. But it soon reversed on itself and they began sounding like parents when Jirachi asked Yami, "Hold on, you haven't been walking around in the desert without wearing a hat again, now have you?"

"Jirachi, what nerve," the queen reprimanded. "Where are your manners?"

"And, Queen Mystery," Mana was saying, "you've been remembering to tie your hair back for when you fly so it doesn't get knots and tangles, right?"

"Enough, both of you," the queen said firmly. As much as she loved their playful antics, she really wasn't in the mood for games right now. But she keeps her temper and says softly, "It is not like how it used to be. Do you not see? We have a baby now and we have no time for-"

Jirachi interrupts her and finishes, "And you have no time to let your husband speak for himself?"

Mana joined in and asked, "So you've been speaking for him as well as yourself?" Yami seemed to be the only one who was enjoying their playful methods and was starting to feel cheerful. Mana and Jirachi were doing it to help their friends and make them happy.

Mystery quickly learned that and decided to lighten up a little for her friends. Mystery had control of her emotions and learned to never lose it when someone was only trying to help with their own methods. But although she appreciated that her friends were only trying to help, she still had to act like a queen. Feeling a little cheered up and remembering her duties, she clears her throat and says, "We are getting off the subject. How did you two get past the guards anyway?"

In answer, Mana faces her front and shows them that the soldiers are totally immobilized. "Well, my magic's been improving."

Mystery was both impressed and displeased. "Why did you have to use your freezing spell when you could have just asked Jirachi to teleport you? We need them to guard the palace."

"Oops! Sorry," Mana said, still sounding cheerful and treating it all like a game. But she was confident she could undo the spell, so she places her fingers between her eyes and says, "I release thee." Pink lights shine around the outlines of the men, but the soldiers were still immobile.

"Uh-oh," Jirachi groaned, seeing that this turned out to be a spell that his friend had not yet mastered. Mana was still a student in the arts of magic and had only learned to master a handful of spells. At the same time, she had trouble performing counter spells to reverse them. That was one of her flaws in practicing magic.

The queen arched an eyebrow. "Your magic's improving, is it?"

"Let me try that again," Mana said and began looking through her spellbook. "Uhh… it's in here somewhere," she groaned, trying to find a way to undo the spell.

Mystery knew that Mana was prone to these simple mistakes and had patience with her. As the young mage said earlier, they went to school together and took some of the same classes and learned the same spells. But Mana was still in training and learning under Mahad. He had patience with her too, but he would be a bit harder on her than the queen was. Considering the fact, Mystery asks Mana to hurry up. "You are lucky I will not tell Mahad you were playing games and practicing magic at the same time."

Mana knew just as much and tried to find the spell as quick as she could. "Let's see…" she says, thoroughly looking through the pages, "turning humans into toads… getting rid of bad breath… ah! The freeze spell."

As Yami watched Mana perform the counter spell and saw her and Jirachi and Mystery getting along as friends again, he thought to himself, _It's good to know I had friends._ That made him remember that before you can love someone as family, you must first love them as friends. Obviously, he and Mystery were friends before they were spouses. He figured that maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. If he continued to spend time with his friends and remembered to be himself, maybe he would remember more about the people around him and what kind of person he was. At the same time, he felt like all of his worries and concerns were disappearing and that everything would be all right. At the same time, maybe things here wouldn't be so different from how things were in the modern era.

The next morning, while the royal guard was investigating the city and helping to repair the damages that were caused by Max and Bakura's attacks, Yami was walking through the palace courtyard with Mana and Jirachi following him around. He didn't mind their presence and decided that if spending time with his friends would help him to remember them, then he would do it.

"So tell us," Mana said as she was skipping near the water, "is everything really going to change now that your daughter is finally born?" She had to ask because she had heard rumors about the Great Goddess promising an era of overcoming any darkness and that Egypt would forever live in light now that the new princess was finally born. But it wasn't fair to expect so much from a newborn.

Yami wasn't too sure of what to expect. He simply replied, "To be honest, it's hard to remember what things were like before I became a parent."

Jirachi sighs and tells him, "You must have a lot on your mind these days."

"Yes, I do," the pharaoh replied.

Mana understood. There was a lot to think about now such as starting to be a parent. Plus, the heir of the Dark Lord was on the move and would be planning another attack. But she didn't want her leaders to worry too much or to forget their friends. "But you and your wife will still have time for me and Jirachi and the rest of our friends, right?"

"Of course we will," Yami promised. Then he got an idea. "Mana, would you – could you – and Jirachi tell me more about all of us?"

"Sure, Pharaoh," Jirachi said, taking it normally.

But Mana took the question a little differently. "Wait, you're serious, aren't you? This parenting thing's made you weird."

"Mana," Jirachi snapped.

The magician places her hand over her mouth and blushes. "Oops. Did I say that out loud?"

"It's fine," Yami told her.

"No, it's not," Jirachi argued. He does the same thing and says, "Oops. That wasn't very good either."

Mana sighs and says, "No, not really. If we care, we shouldn't be selfish and think about ourselves." As Jirachi asks her what she means, Mana places the little Pokémon in her arms. "The pharaoh and queen have been looking forward to being parents and you and I should be happy for them because we've been looking forward to their baby coming too. And now that she's finally here, we can help out the pharaoh and queen a lot and still spend time with them too. So there's really nothing to be impatient about."

Jirachi smiles and agrees. "I like that about you, Mana. You're always so optimistic and know how to have fun." But he and his friend still had to remember their manners, so he turns around and asks Yami, "Is that all right, Pharaoh?"

"I don't see why not," Yami told him. "You're her friends too." The magician and the Pokémon were both happy to hear that and they decided to go back inside the palace and help out right now. Yami smiled as he watched them run off. He was glad that they were his friends. But he decided to head back inside the palace as well. He remembered Mana and Jirachi mentioning that they weren't his only friends. That made him wonder if perhaps there were others close to him who lived in the palace.

There wasn't time to consider that yet. Yami returned to the throne room and saw the members of the royal court gathered together. He and Mystery took their seats and listened to their reports. Mahad was the first to speak. "Pharaoh and Queen, rest assured, the tomb of our former leader King Aknamkanon will never be disturbed again. My team of sorcerers is casting a wall to secure its walls as we speak."

"Excellent," the king and queen said gratefully.

Seto wasn't too sure. Many of the royal magicians were still in training and he had witnessed their efforts. To Seto, Mahad's students weren't very talented in magic. That was often why he bragged that he possessed more skill in sorcery than his friends and the students. "I will believe that the tomb is safe from intruders once I have tested it for myself. After all, we've seen what your 'magicians-in-training' are capable of. I would say a bit more training couldn't hurt."

Joseph didn't take kindly to his master's smart remarks. "All right, Seto, I think that's enough. Besides, if you ask me, I think trying to break through the barrier means attempting to disturb the tomb." Seto growls and throws his Millennium Rod, hitting Joseph in the face.

Joseph groaned and rubbed himself. He was about to jump on Seto, but Mahad stopped him. "Stop now," he ordered. "The last thing we need is to start fighting amongst ourselves. We cannot forget who our real enemy is."

Seto grinned. "Don't worry so much, Mahad. It's all good fun."

Joseph calmed down and agreed. "Yeah, getting along would be too easy."

They say that the more friends fight with each other, the more it shows that they care about each other. Mahad hoped that Seto and Joseph's fighting with each other would help them to grow on one another just as it helped him to grow on them. Sure, the blonde and the brunette still fight and argue for fun sometimes, but Mahad considered them immature for it. At the same time, he figured it couldn't be helped. They would make up and be friends again in the end. But he wouldn't be around forever to help them break up their fights. Even Seto and Joseph knew as much and were remembering to work together and avoid fighting and arguing.

When the royal court was dismissed, Mahad told the king and queen that he would be returning to the Valley of the Kings. Mana wanted to join her master on the journey, but her friends warned her that it would be too dangerous. They told her that she needed to believe in her master the same way her friends believed in him. After all, he wasn't just a follower of Millennia or a brilliant magician. He was also one of the Children of Millennia. So this task wouldn't just be about his loyalty to the royals, but for his devotion to his family.

Mana did believe in her master and knew he would be able to hold his own. After all, he was strong, reliable, and resourceful. She just had to stay positive and believe in the Great Goddess as well. But she also knew that she could still help out as well because she was one of the Children of Millennia too. And she did say she wanted to help out her friends too by starting with taking care of the princess.

Mana carefully tiptoed near the cradle and saw the infant looking up at her curiously with her blue eyes. The young magician thought she looked precious and began whispering to her. "Princess," she softly called and twiddled her fingers. "Yoo-hoo. Princess." After looking at Mana for a few seconds, Princess Emily smiled and softly cooed. This caused Mana to smile as well and wonder if the princess liked her.

Kisara came by and softly asked, "Mana, what are you doing?"

The young magician turns around and whispers, "I just wanted to see the princess."

Kisara approached her friend and set her hand on her shoulder. "That's so sweet of you."

"Can I pick her up?" Mana pleaded. "I promise I'll be careful."

Kisara put her finger close to her bottom lip. She smiled and said, "Well, I guess there would be no harm. But nice and slow, all right?"

Mana was more than happy to hear that. Carefully, she lifts the baby from the cradle and gently bounces her. Mana began to imagine practicing magic with the princess like she did with the pharaoh and queen. She began to imagine doing lots of other things with the princess once she would get older like play games, brush her hair, dress her up, lots of different things.

Freya was walking by until she stopped and saw her friend and cousin playing with Emily and she invited herself to join in. Freya figured that maybe a little playtime would help tire the princess out and get her ready for naptime. "I can take her for you now if you want," Freya said to Mana.

"All right," Mana said and carefully handed the princess to her friend. Her arms were a little tired from rocking her, but she still had strength to play. Mana twiddled her fingers once more and began tickling Emily's belly, making her laugh and squeal. "Coochie coochie coochie coo," Mana cooed as she tickled Emily. The magician giggled and said, "I could do this every single day." And the pink amulet around her neck began glowing.

Seeing that, the cousins wonder, why not? Their friend's element was joy and she had the virtue of making merry and making her friends happy and giving them something to smile about. Kisara and Freya already had their jobs as the royal handmaids, being responsible for helping the queen to take care of the princess. They figured that perhaps when Mana didn't have lessons to attend to, she could be Princess Emily's playmate. Mana liked the idea and figured it would be fun. But that would be up to the pharaoh and queen.

There was no need to ask Yami or Mystery since they were watching what was going on and appreciated what the girls were doing. They greatly appreciated their help and couldn't say 'no'. Seeing their daughter having fun and looking happy made them smile as well. Yami placed his arm over Mystery and set his hand over her shoulder. As he looked at his daughter, he could have sworn that she was looking and smiling right at him. Yami smiled right back, thinking she knew who he was. He felt something warm and comforting inside. It was telling him that this was the way things were and how they should be. Though he still didn't remember much about the people around him, he knew that this was his family and he knew that he was home.


	8. Finding the Way

Finding the Way

When Mahad said he would be returning to the desert, he didn't reveal to his friends that he would be placing a trap for Bakura and Max. He went to the sanctuary where royal magicians practiced magic and trained for combat. Not only was it his domain, but he came here to reclaim a portion of power that was left behind for the safety of the people around him. He knew that the Cobalt Star would grant Bakura nearly limitless power and therefore he had to increase his own if he was to have any chance against him in a Shadow Game.

But this was all just an elaborate scheme that Bakura and Max had sprung. They knew Mahad would be waiting for them and wanting to fight them, so the two thieves wouldn't necessarily be walking into a trap. Max and Bakura knew their foes too well and there was nothing that could take them by surprise. The stage was set and the mage and the thief were ready to begin their Shadow Game.

Mahad wasn't just a follower of Millennia. He was also one of her warriors and represented a certain element like the rest of his friends. His element was reliability and Mahad had learned to never take his chances and fight at all costs for those who were dear to him. His element made him cautious and aware of his surroundings and to never back out. So no matter what kinds of tricks Bakura would pull on him, the mage would be ready to face it. But the Shadow Game had only just started and Mahad was already pushing himself past his limits. He had done it several times before when fighting for the people he cared about, but this was a whole new battle and Bakura was a whole new opponent. The heir of Cobalt didn't even have a need to fight his hardest against his opponent.

Meanwhile, Yugi and his friends were still wandering through the chambers of the Millennium Puzzle. Joey came to another door and moaned, "Oh, say it ain't so!"

"What's wrong, Joey," Emily asked him.

"That's what's wrong," he said, pointing to the door. His friends didn't understand, even when they approached him. Kaiba didn't see anything to be upset about. He just noticed that the door had a yellow star on it. "I marked that door so that we'd know we already went down this path," Joey explained.

Now his friends understood why he was moaning. It was because they stopped here before. "Good idea, Joey," said Yugi.

Emily agreed. "Who knew you had it in you?"

Kaiba turned around and grinned. "But if we ever get out of here, improve in art class."

Shadi chuckled in amusement. "Good one."

Joey was becoming tired of getting nowhere and was on the verge of losing his mind. "We'll never find that door," he complained. "Not if we keep walking in circles."

Yugi sighed. "He's got a point." He and Emily heard a faint sound nearby and turned around and saw a door that hadn't yet been marked. They weren't even paying attention to Joey's complaints.

The blonde lad continued and groaned, "Face it. We're gonna be stuck in this place with a ghost in a bathrobe for the rest of our lives."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Oh, way to keep a positive attitude."

"For your information, it's a sacred cloak," Shadi corrected.

"Bathrobe, cloak, whatever," said Joey. "The point is we're trapped."

"And you're making it worse," Kaiba told him.

Emily had enough and told them to stop. "Will you guys cut it out?"

Finally, the blonde and the brunette broke it up and gave them their attention. "What's up? Did you guys find the right door?" Joey asked.

"Well, I can't be too sure," Yugi was saying, "but we get the feeling that there might be something on the other side." He approached the door and opened it with caution. His friends followed him and stood by the doorway. It was dark, but Yugi saw two familiar figures in the room. "Max, Bakura," he called to them. But it wasn't their friends from home. It was the evil spirits who once controlled them. They grinned and chuckled, then groaned and tuned into one dark creature.

Emily thought the monster was going to attack, so she told her friends to run. The beast breathed fire at her, but she used her magic to create a protective barrier. "Are you guys all right," she asked her friends.

"You mean besides the really bad sunburn," Joey asked, though he wasn't hurt.

Yugi got up and walked back inside the room. The vicinity was lit up and it was another part of the labyrinth. "It's gone," he said looking around.

"Well, it's a good thing," Joey said boldly. "Because I was about to fight fire with fire." When Yugi asked what that monster was, Shadi explained to him that what he just saw was the enemies of the pharaoh and queen in their true form.

The Shadow Game continued with Mahad and Bakura fighting with their Diabound and Illusion Magician. The heir of Cobalt continued offering Mahad a chance to back out and save himself, but the mage refused. He now knew Max and Bakura's objective and wasn't going to let them carry it out. He made a vow to protect the royal family and he wasn't going to break it. To do so would not only be irresponsible of him, but also disgraceful. But it wouldn't be because of his element or because of his loyalty to the royals, but because of the bond he shared with his friends. Down to his last resort, Mahad knew what needed to be done. He asked for the Great Goddess to lend him her power one last time so that he could continue to fulfill her wishes and protect their family. Millennia heard his prayers and gave him her strength. He had become one with his Illusion Magician and was now the Dark Magician. His Dark Magic collided with Diabound's Heligo Shock Wave and the entire sanctuary began to collapse.

The royals came to the sanctuary only to find the entrance sealed with a stone tablet in front of it. It devastated them to see that it contained the image of their friend. Mana was heartbroken and began crying. It wasn't fair to her that her teacher and closest friend had to face this fate and she wondered why the Great Goddess didn't protect him like she prayed for her to do so. Yami was hurt too for having just lost a friend. But he heard Mahad's voice echo, promising eternal servitude. That was when Yami knew that Mahad would always be there for his friends when they needed him and he whispered his gratitude.

Inside the Millennium Puzzle, the gang felt a drop in temperature and felt shaking in their heels. Suddenly, it got warm again and the shaking stopped. Shadi explained to them that the Millennium Puzzle was a reflection of the pharaoh's heart as well as his mind. The labyrinth represented the questions and mysteries in his mind while the temperature of the room would change in accordance to his emotions. "You must listen," Shadi told them. "If you do so carefully, you will locate him."

It made sense to Yugi now. "Of course. All this time, we thought we had to knock on his door. But what we really needed was to wait for the pharaoh to knock for us."

"Yes, but it's not easy," Shadi reminded him. "You must listen with your hearts."

"Then let's do it," said Joey. "I bet if we all concentrate at the same time, we'll be able to hear him. So let's stop yapping and start listening." Kaiba and Emily agreed.

"Thanks, guys," said Yugi. "Hands in."

"Do we always have to do the hand thing," Joey asked at they all held their hands out.

"Why don't you take your own advice and concentrate?" Kaiba smartly stated.

"He's right," said Shadi. "Close your eyes, listen. The pharaoh cries out for you. Listen."

They all close their eyes and keep their ears open. They manage to hear Yami's voice calling to them, meaning that they're getting closer. By listening to their friend's voice, the doorway had now been opened. Yugi opened his eyes and looked outside at the city in the view. "Hey, guys, I think we found it," he told his friends. "The world of the pharaoh's memory!"

"Yes, you are correct," said Shadi. "And so my work here is done. Now you must continue on your own." The others gasp hearing him say that. "I'm sorry, but only those who were called upon by the pharaoh may enter this realm. So go, the king of Egypt is in need of your help. And good luck. You're going to need it."

"Just one question," Joey said, looking outside. "How do we get out of here?" They were in the sky and needed to get down. Yugi and Emily knew the solution. They unfolded their wings and jumped outside. "I was afraid of that," Joey groaned. Kaiba unfolds his wings and takes Joey's hand and they follow their friends.

Many of the royals were upset and broken for the loss of their friend, but Seto was the only one who wasn't willing to let his emotions get in the way. He couldn't scorn his friend for his behavior because he knew Mahad too well. His actions weren't just based on his element, but because he cared too much. Actually, it was the result of the cause Seto was concerned about. "Due to Mahad's carelessness, those lunatics Bakura and Max are more dangerous in ever. For now, they are in possession of the Millennium Ring."

Karim faces him and tells him, "Now wait, that is yet to be confirmed. For all we know, both Bakura and Max were buried under rubble when the sacred sanctuary collapsed."

"Perhaps, however my Key still senses both of their presences," Shada said, meaning that the two thieves were still alive.

The queen faces Isis and asks her, "What does Millennia tell you about this? Is she able to show you Bakura's future?"

Isis shakes her head. "Sadly, she is not." All Isis knew was that for the Great Goddess to be blind to the future, it meant that the Dark Lord was keeping her from seeking out his children. She and the others did know this much, if the Great Goddess could sense Max's presence and Bakura's, then it meant that they escaped before the sanctuary could cave in.

Seto takes a few step forward to the king and queen. "On behalf of the sacred court, I apologize for these failures." Then he turns his attention to his comrades. "Believe me, I speak for every one of us when I say we will not disappoint you again, Pharaoh and Queen."

"I am sorry, my king and queen," Isis said apologetically.

Although Mystery appreciated her words and knew that she and the others were really only trying and their best was all everyone could afford, the queen said, "Apologies are not necessary, Isis. What we need are solutions."

"Of course, Queen Mystery," said Isis. "I shall pray for the Great Goddess to break through the darkness that conceals Max and Bakura from her visions and to show me the future."

"That is all we can ask," said Yami.

It was true that for now, their best was all everyone could offer. But patience wasn't a luxury anyone could afford. Rather, no one was willing to sit by and wait for the thieves to make their next move. Seto decided that the royals had to increase their forces to stand against the Dark Lord's minions knowing that they would come back stronger, meaning the royals had to make themselves stronger as well. He spoke up and said, "Pharaoh and Queen, with all due respect, time is of the essence. Please allow me to lead the hunt for Bakura and Max. I already have a plan in place." He explains that all of the kingdom's gateways must be sealed to keep out any and all intruders and that all citizens must be carefully inspected. Even if everyone in the city is a Millennial, the thieves could still have spies carrying out the Dark Lord's deed and gathering information. So until more was known about Max and Bakura, no one could be trusted. The queen understood Seto's request, but asked for him not to hurt anybody. In her perspective, everyone was a victim more than a suspect because Bakura was the real enemy. Nonetheless, Seto gave his word not to harm any innocent people.

Trusting in his words, Yami grants his request. "Very well, proceed. So let it be written, so let it be done." And the meeting was adjourned and the royal court was dismissed.


	9. Seeking Answers

Seeking Answers

Yugi, Emily, Kaiba, and Joey made it to the capital. It was just as they saw from their visions of the past. The townspeople were interacting with creatures of all kinds. There were animals, demons, Pokémon, many different species of creatures and different races of people. It was amazing to see, but at the same time, a little weird. "Is it me or did we end up through some kind of time warp?" asked Joey.

Kaiba agreed. "We completely stand out from everyone else."

"Yeah, but for some weird reason, everyone's ignoring us," said Emily.

Joey tried to get the passersby to notice him and his friends, but nothing happened. He saw a village girl coming towards him and tried to say 'hello', but she walked right through him. This caused Joey to fall back and yell in fright. "She's a ghost," he cried, pointing at her. "Did you see that?"

Kaiba was just as baffled, but he found the expression on Joey's face hilarious and was laughing hysterically. He was laughing so hard, his sides got sore. He tried pulling himself together when she saw two young boys racing with their Pokémon. Kaiba finally stopped laughing when he saw that they had just ran right through him. This time, Joey laughed about Kaiba's expression.

Yugi looked down and noticed that the Millennium Puzzle wasn't hanging from his neck anymore. That was when it was making sense to him. "If we're in the world of the pharaoh's memory, then it's no wonder people can't see us, right? We didn't exist five thousand years ago. So we're not really a part of this place."

"Wait a second," Emily was saying, "does that mean when we find my father, he won't be able to see us either?" Yugi couldn't answer. The only way to know for sure was to go to the palace and pay the pharaoh a visit. So they all unfold their wings and begin flying.

At the same time, Seto was making his rounds through the city inspecting the citizens. Many villagers were accused of criminal activity and brought before Seto to face charges. Because Seto had given his word not to harm anyone, he would not decree punishments of any kind. But he would not let them go free either. Those with Shadow Creatures dwelling in their hearts were sent to the dungeon. It was one of the first measurements he was taking to building an army of monsters. After all, it wasn't just the heir of Cobalt and the Star itself that the royals had to contend with. They had to find a way to stand against Diabound and the Angel of Death. That was why Seto wanted to build an army of Shadow Creatures. Knowing he and his friends lack the strength to use the Millennium Star, this is the only other alternative they can take right now.

Through the inspection, Seto had heard many of the people he sent to the dungeon mention White and Black Dragons. He wondered if they were talking about the creatures that dwelled in the souls of the women he and Joseph loved. Neither the blonde nor the brunette wanted to believe it. Kisara and Freya had learned to control their beasts and keep them contained. But since the attack at the palace, the cousins had been leaving the palace in hopes of finding Max and Bakura and seeking out information on the thieves. Still, the girls were careful enough not to let the enemy sense their powers and they had returned home safely. But that didn't mean that Seto and Joseph had nothing to worry about. They had every need and right to be concerned about the girls they loved. Because of all that's been happening in the past few days, there was no time to be carefree.

Yugi and his friends had only been flying for a few minutes and were still in the middle of the city. Joey was feeling hungry and didn't have the strength to fly anymore. "Hey, can we take five," he asked his friends. "Or maybe ten?" He stopped flying, but kept in the air by flapping his wings.

Kaiba turned around and groaned. "Oh, come on. You're kidding, right?"

"You know I can't fly on an empty stomach," the blonde lad complained. Kaiba countered and said that Joey couldn't do anything on an empty stomach and reminded him that their purpose for being here was to help the pharaoh. Then again, knowing Joey would continue complaining, the others agreed to stop flying and get back on the ground for his sake.

"Remember, Joey, it's like we don't exist here," Yugi reminded him. "You're not even going to be able to touch the food, let alone eat it."

Joey complained again. "Oh, no, say it ain't so."

Then Kaiba remembered something. He still had some of the snacks he got from the flight to Egypt. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of crackers and decided to tease Joey like he was a dog. "Hey, Wheeler, you hungry," he asked, showing him the packet and waving it around. Joey saw it and his mouth started watering. He didn't even pay any mind to Kaiba's commentary. "You want it? Go get it!" The brunette turned around and tossed the packet. Joey immediately got back on his feet and ran to catch it. Yugi and Emily didn't take kindly to Kaiba's stunt and followed Joey so he wouldn't get hurt.

As Joey got the crackers, he stumbled and fell in a huge crowd. In the middle of the crowd, he saw two young girls and their guardian beasts being attacked. Joey recognized the black-haired woman and saw that it was Freya. The monster protecting her was an Umbreon named Sakuya. When the rest of the gang came through the crowd, Kaiba was just as surprised when he saw Kisara and the monster protecting her was a twin-tailed nekomata named Kirara. But there was no time to be stunned. The girls were in trouble and needed help. Joey immediately got back on his feet and ignored his appetite. "So you guys want to pick on someone, do you?"

Kaiba joined him and said, "Then pick on us,"

"And then we'll pick on you," he and Joey said in unison. No one paid attention. The townspeople continued to throw rocks at Kisara and Freya and the monsters made foul cries of their own.

Emily and Yugi got down to try to help the cousins. "Are you okay?" Emily asked Kisara. But she got no answer.

"They can't hear us," Joey reminded her.

"That's right," said Kaiba. "None of these people can hear us or see us."

"No wonder these stones don't hurt," said Joey.

"This isn't good," said Emily. "I won't be able to use my magic to heal them."

"Well, think," Kaiba told her. "We have to do something."

"What is this about?" asked a voice. This caused Kaiba to place his hand over his mouth. He didn't say those words, but he knew that sounded just like him. Then he and his friends faced their front and were surprised to see his ancient self. Even Joey was just as surprised to see his ancient self.

Unable to see Yugi and his friends, Seto and Joseph only saw Freya and Kisara unconscious in the middle with their guardian beasts protecting them. Shada came through the crowd as well and tried to approach the girls to help them, but his Millennium Key glowed with a bright light. Seto and Joseph had a feeling it meant that the girls' powers were being sensed. But they couldn't worry about that right now. Their first priority was getting Kisara and Freya home and tending to their wounds. So they told the royal guards to take the girls back to the palace and they also told the villagers to go home or they would all be arrested for violence and abuse. Hearing that, the villagers returned to their homes.

"Look, guys," Emily was saying.

"I know," Kaiba interrupted. "I have the Millennium Rod and the other guy has the Key." He became quiet and thought to himself, _Something's not right. If I have the Millennium Rod then, why do I have the Millennium Eye now?_

"It makes sense," Yugi suddenly said.

"What do you mean by that?" The brunette asked him.

"Kaiba, you and Joey were carved on those ancient tablets," he reminded him. "You guys must work for the royal family."

Seto and Joseph turn around and tell the royal guard not to let Yami and Mystery know of the events that happened today. They had enough on their minds already and didn't need to be worried any more than they already were. And they began taking Kisara and Freya back to the palace. Hearing that they're going back to the palace, Yugi and his friends decide to follow them.

The gang comes to the front gate admiring the interior decorating. "Look at the size of this place," said Emily.

"It's good to be the king," Joey said as he was looking around.

"We might want to speed things up," Kaiba told them. He and his friends face their front and see that the gates have been shut, leaving them locked out.

But Joey told them this wasn't a big deal. "Come on, don't sweat it. We can walk through everything here. And I'm sure solid stone gates are no exception." He tried to walk through the gates, but could not do it. They were solid and keeping him from passing though. "I don't get this. Are we invisible or not?"

Emily pressed her palms against one of the doors. "I'd hate to say it, guys, but I think it's time for one of our famous 'Plan B's'."

Even Kaiba thought that the answer to all of this was simple. "Guys, this is simple. We can just fly over the gate." He figured there was nothing to worry about because he and his friends couldn't be seen and the kingdom was full of monsters and people with unique powers. So no one would pay any mind to them anyway.

Joey still wasn't too sure. "But once we get in and if the pharaoh can see us, well, let's not forget that he's married. What will his wife say if she sees us?"

The brunette grinned. "Exactly, _if_. So we really have nothing to worry about."

The blonde didn't know which would be more preferable. He wanted Yami to be able to see them, but he had to take other people into account. For all he knew so far, Joey and the others couldn't be seen by the general public. If Yami could see his friends and if Mystery couldn't, she would think her husband was going crazy. That was why Joey didn't want to take any chances. "There's a lot of stuff to consider, Kaiba. We can't just focus on one thing and forget the other. And wisdom's supposed to be your element."

"I am considering both sides of the situation," Kaiba told him.

"Really," Joey argued. "Because it seems like you're trying to get us into trouble."

"I'm trying to get us into the palace, nimrod," the brunette growled.

"Then you'd better have an idea that won't get us into trouble or make it seem like weird stuff is going on."

Kaiba scoffed. "At least I'm trying to help."

"And I'm trying to be careful."

Yugi and Emily paid no mind to their argument. They approached the gate and placed their hands against the doors. _We know you're in there, Pharaoh_ , Yugi wondered. _And we're going to figure out a way to help you._

Feeling a strange sensation, Yami could sense that someone was calling out to him and he wondered what it was.


	10. Reversal of Fortune

Reversal of Fortune

Soldiers and their Pokémon were on the lookout for Max and Bakura. "Any suspicious activity here?" the captain asked his men.

"No, sir," one soldier answered.

"Well, I thought I heard something, so look alive."

And Max and Bakura did return and were keeping to the shadows. "The time has come. On to phase two," the heir of Cobalt whispered. "The Shadow Game has taken interesting twists as the past and the future have begun to converge. Take the Egyptian Gods; the pharaoh can only control them thanks to his knowledge of the future. However, we have powers he and his wife don't."

Max casts a spell called Invisibility to conceal her and her partner from the guards and their beasts. With their dark magic, they could enter the palace undetected. They didn't just return for the purpose of trying to claim the Millennium Star. The two thieves actually had a score to settle with one of the sacred guardians. They went to one of the tablet shrines and found Aknadin. They didn't come to try to steal the Millennium Eye, but to inflict great pain on him in return for the devastation he caused them when he destroyed their village. Max and Bakura agreed to force the old man to make up for his crimes against Cobalt by serving the Dark Lord himself. They knew that if they turned Aknadin against the royals and made him serve Cobalt, he would help them to destroy the royal family.

Yami was standing on the balcony. He was lost in his thoughts until he felt a strange sensation. _My Millennium Puzzle is sensing a dark presence._

"Pharaoh," the queen's voice called. Yami saw her flying towards him. "Forgive me for leaving, but my friends needed my help."

"What happened?"

Mystery landed next to him and answered, "A village along the Nile was under attack a few moments ago."

"What?"

"You need not worry, my pharaoh. The beasts of legend and I were able to stop the attackers and get the villagers to safety. Houses that were damaged are being repaired and the bandits were brought to the dungeon."

Yami takes Mystery's hands and asks her, "But what about you? Are you all right?"

The queen smiles and says, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Then they both heard crashing and faced their front and saw one of the tablet shrines under attack. "One of our sanctuaries!"

"But whose?"

"Aknadin's," the queen answered. "There is only one man capable of an act of treason like this."

"As well as one woman," Yami added. They both looked down and saw Bakura and Max making their way back to the palace. Knowing their daughter's life is at stake, the king and queen leave the balcony and return to their chamber. Mystery kept herself steady and was ready to cast magic. Yami kept his eyes out for the two thieves.

From outside the chamber, there was a black foxlike Pokémon with red hair. His name was Zoroark and he took on the form of his master. Disguised as Bakura, Zoroark approached the royals with a grin. Even when disguised, Zoroark can still use his abilities of illusion and deceive his foes. So he convinced Yami and Mystery that he was about to perform a spell as well.

Max sees that they're falling for Zoroark's trick and takes this opportunity to use Dispel to cancel out the queen's magic. Zoroark attacks the king and queen and keeps them distracted. The real Bakura takes this chance to steal the princess and escape with his partner and their Pokémon. With Zoroark gone, his illusions begin to subside. Yami and Mystery realize that they've been tricked and hurry to pursue their enemies.

Max and Bakura make it outside and begin riding their horses as they make their escape. The soldiers see them and try to stop them. "Halt, in the name of the pharaoh," one soldier shouts. The thieves keep riding and ignore them. "I'm warning you!" As Max and Bakura ride past them, Diabound and the Angel of Death appear and attack the soldiers, sending them to the Shadow Realm.

"Interfere and face the wrath of Diabound," Bakura shouts. He and Max look back and see the pharaoh and queen in pursuit. "Looks like the mighty pharaoh and queen have taken our bait."

"This madness ends here!" Yami shouted. He activates his diadiank and summons Slifer the Sky Dragon and Mystery summons Rainbow Dragon. "Bakura, Max, stop running like cowards and face up to what you've done!"

Bakura looks up and sees the two Dragons. "We have a few unexpected guests. No matter, the ultimate battle for the future of mankind will begin once again. Only this time, we shall prevail."

Yugi and his friends were still outside the palace walls. They sat down with their backs against the wall as they were sleeping. It wasn't comfortable, but they didn't know where else to spend the night. They woke up to the sound of crashing and saw a strange figure passing through the gate. Yugi rubbed his eyes and got a clear vision of the next person passing through. "It's the pharaoh!" He also saw Slifer and Rainbow Dragon above him and the queen.

"This sort of thing used to surprise me, but now, not so much," said Joey.

"Did anyone get a look at who he and his wife were chasing?" Kaiba asked.

Emily did. "Bakura and Max."

"Come on, guys," said Yugi. "We've got to help!" And he and his friends unfold their wings and begin flying.

Thanks to Bakura's defeat over Mahad, Diabound had acquired some new attacks and abilities. With the power to disappear and attack from anywhere, Yami and Mystery wouldn't be able to protect themselves from a sneak attack. But Slifer's Lightning Blast allowed him to instantly attack any monster that appeared for battle. Yami had to be careful, though. This wasn't anything at all like the modern day duels he and Yugi faced. And everyone knows that when real monsters are fighting, the results can be devastating. Max and Bakura demonstrate by ordering their monsters to attack the city.

Mystery couldn't stand to see innocent people under attack. "Stop!" she shouted to Bakura. "This fight is between you and us!"

"Very well, then it's time for you to decide," Bakura tells her. "Continue to fight us or save your people!" And he orders Diabound to attack two boys in the streets. Diabound was about to use his Illusionary Shock Wave to attack them, but Mystery made it first and conjured a Lucid Barrier to protect the boys.

"I think that white angel just saved us," one of them said, looking at her. The queen smiles to let them know that they're safe. "You _are_ an angel!"

"Oh, children," Bakura called to them. The look up and face him in horror. Mystery places her arms over them in a protective way. "Didn't your mothers ever warn you not to go outside at night?" He grins and holds out the Cobalt Star for them to see. "I'm the reason why." Seeing the Cobalt Star made the boys cry out in fear. This made them wonder if Mystery was the heiress of Millennia. The queen reminded them that she was the previous heir, but there was no time to explain. She told the children to find their families and flee to the palace courtyard for safety. They listen to her and begin running. Mystery also told her Dragon to continue to protect the villagers. Bakura grinned once more. _How noble of you and your husband to use your Dragons as shields, Queen Mystery. But how much abuse can they endure? I guess we'll have to see._ All of the Shadow Creatures attacked once more. The collision of the attacks lit up the sky as bright as broad daylight.

Yugi and his friends stopped flying as they saw the whole vicinity being lit up. "Whoa, those are definitely not holograms," said Kaiba.

"Uh, no," Emily said bluntly.

When the force of the attacks finally subsides, the Dragons drag their opponents to the sky where they can't harm anyone anymore. While the Dragons may command the sky, Diabound and the Angel of Death command the darkness, giving them the upper hand. It was time to end this. Bakura offered the king and queen a dangerous proposal. He decided to give back the princess in exchange for the Millennium Star and the Millennium Puzzle. He even told the king and queen that if they refused, he and Max would kill the princess and continue attacking the city and kill them as well. In either case, the thieves would benefit. But Yami and Mystery believed there was a way to save themselves and their daughter and the villagers without letting Max and Bakura gain anything.

That was when Seto and Joseph came to the rescue riding on two dragon-type Pokémon named Salamence and Flygon. They attacked Diabound and the Angel of Death. With Max and Bakura recovering from the pain of the attacks their monsters felt, Mystery got back her daughter. Bakura and Max see that they're outnumbered and retreat to the desert, leaving their monsters behind to deal with their foes.

Yugi and his friends were still flying above the burning city. Families continued to run from their homes and hurry to the palace courtyard for safety. "There's no sign of the pharaoh and queen anywhere," said Joey.

"They can't be too far," Kaiba said, looking around.

"Look up there," Yugi said as he pointed to the sky. "It's Slifer the Sky Dragon and Rainbow Dragon." That meant that they were getting closer to Yami and Mystery.

The pharaoh and queen couldn't stand by any longer. Though they were able to rescue their daughter, the Shadow Game was still on. No one was safe as long as Max and Bakura were on the move. The two thieves had to be stopped before all would be lost.

They came to a mountain and were ready to end the fight. Slifer saw Diabound's Heiligo Shock Wave coming in and was about to counter attack until he suddenly felt weak. As the Sky Dragon was recovering from the attack, he was engulfed in Diabound's attack. Feeling a strong connection to the Dragon's pain, Yami placed his hand against his chest. "It's up to you, Mystery," he groaned.

"Rainbow Dragon, attack with Rainbow Ray!" Mystery's Dragon launches her attack into the sky an attacks Diabound before it can strike again. "A direct hit!" But it wasn't Diabound. It was a different monster summoned to take its place. "Another monster? But how?"

Bakura chuckled. "I'm afraid there's not a strategy Max and I haven't prepared for, Queen Mystery."

Yami tried to pull himself together, but the pain was taking over him. "Must fight on," he groaned.

"Please, Pharaoh," Bakura taunted. "You are far too weak for this."

"I can't give up now." Yami groans and begins to lose consciousness. Mystery withdraws her Dragon and hurries to aid her husband.

Finally, Yugi and the others find Yami and Mystery and come to their rescue. Yugi approaches Yami and rests his head on his lap. As it turns out, Mystery can see them and is confused, wondering who these children are and why they look like her friends and why they're dressed in strange clothes. Emily sees this as well and promises the queen that she and the guys are friends and are here to help. The queen wasn't sure what was going on, but something inside told her they were telling the truth and she could trust them.

Yami started coming to. He opened his eyes and was surprised. "Yugi, is that you?"

Yugi smiled. "So you can see us."

"Are you all right?" asked Joey.

"Father," Emily asked, holding her hands.

"What the hell's going on here?" Kaiba asked.

Mystery's silently gasped to what she heard. She heard Emily correctly when she called Yami her father. Then she wondered, _Can these children be… us? From another place? Maybe another time? Is that girl-?_ She interrupted herself and looked at the infant in her arms, then back at the young lady.

"You shouldn't be here," Yami groaned. "It's too dangerous."

Max and Bakura could see them too and were just as surprised. "Impossible," gasped Bakura. "How could those four brats have infiltrated this realm?"

"We've come too far to turn back now, Pharaoh," Yugi told Yami. "You and I are a team, remember?"

Yami found himself feeling strong again. _This is incredible. I can feel my energy returning. I forgot how strong my bond with Yugi truly is._ He grasps his partner's hand and stands up again. "All right, Mystery, summon your Rainbow Dragon back into battle. It's time to end this."

The queen couldn't believe what just happened. She didn't know how or why, but her husband's power was restored. Now she knew for sure that these children were friends who came to help. Besides, in matters like these, it's best to trust whatever help comes your way and ask questions later. And with Yami well and feeling strong again, she did too. "Bakura, Max, your reign of terror ends here and now! You've disgraced the Egyptian Gods and for that, you must pay!" And she summons Rainbow Dragon and Yami summons the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Clouds shroud the sky as the sun illuminates in the dead of night, causing Bakura and Max to tremble in fear. Rainbows also appear through the clouds, making Rainbow Dragon just as powerful. _This doesn't make any sense,_ Bakura wondered. _When we destroyed Slifer the Sky Dragon, the pharaoh was rendered powerless and we turned his wife into a coward. So where did they find the strength to come back into battle and call upon another Egyptian God?_ Then it made sense to him as he looked down and saw Yugi. _Unless this has something to do with those meddling kids. Did reuniting with his former host somehow restore the pharaoh's life force?_

 _Yugi, once again, we shall save mankind together. And I wouldn't have it any other way,_ Yami thought.

Watching from the sky, Karim, Seto, and Joseph saw that their opponents were vulnerable to attack. "Without the darkness, their Diabound and Angel of Death have no way of concealing themselves," said Joseph. "Let us attack now!"

Bakura wouldn't allow it. "Can't you fools see? Thanks to the pharaoh, I also hold the power of an Egyptian God!" With the ability to steal the powers of monsters defeated by Diabound, Bakura's monster got all of Slifer's powers. Diabound attacked with Thunderforce and was aiming for the Dragons.

"Oh, no!" Mystery gasped.

"Pharaoh and Queen!" Karim cried.

Seto and Joseph knew what to do. They summoned two warriors known as Flame Swordsman and Duos. "Use the power of your Aura Sword and Flame Sword to stop Diabound's attack and shield the Winged and Rainbow Dragons from harm!"

"Can't you see this doesn't concern you?" Max asked them.

"Pharaoh and Queen," Joseph called out, "Now's your chance!"

With the power of the sun, the Winged Dragon of Ra transformed into Egyptian God Phoenix. Rainbow Dragon coiled around the Winged Dragon so their powers would combine. Together, the Dragons attacked and destroyed Diabound and the Angel of Death. Max and Bakura cried out in pain and felt like they were engulfed in the Dragons' fiery rage.

"Justice is served," said Seto.

Joseph agreed. "The darkness is no more."

Now that the fight was finally over, Mystery could refocus her attention on Yugi and the others. "You four have my gratitude," she tells them. "Had you not arrived to help us, Bakura and Max would have reigned victorious. Now I know you are friends."

"We sure are," Joey tells her. "And I guess that means you guys won, right?"

"Yes," Yami replied. "Egypt is now safe, but none of it would have been possible without you."

Yugi started being modest. "Aw, come on, you're the ones who did all the work."

"But you gave me the strength I needed to fight," his partner reminded him.

"And that gave me the courage to keep going as well," Mystery added. "So thank you."

"Like I said, we're a team," said Yugi.

The others approached their friends. "Well, don't forget the rest of the team," said Kaiba.

"All for one," Joey was saying,

"And one for all," Emily finished. And they all began putting their hands together.

"How'd I know this was coming," Kaiba asked.

"Man, shut up," Joey told him, not wanting to hear any smart remarks.

"You see, Father, even two continents in over five thousand years couldn't keep us apart," Emily tells him. "Because no matter where we are, or no matter when we are, we're a family."

Mystery chuckles and puts her arm over Emily. "You can say that again."

But Max and Bakura wouldn't give up. _It wasn't supposed to end like this,_ Max protested.

 _I won't let it,_ her partner promised. _Hands of time, reverse thyself so that we may alter the past_.

And just like that, events began to play out backwards like a video was rewinding. "This can't be," Mystery gasped. "Is time flowing backwards?" But she didn't have time to worry about that. The winds were picking up and began to warp Yugi and his friends back to where they started before they met up with the royals. It all came to a stop when Diabound attacked and defeated Slifer, making Yami feel weak again. This time, Max and Bakura were back to the way they were before Yugi and the others interfered.

The gang found themselves flying above the city again. "Is it me or didn't we fly above this town already?" Emily asked.

"It's not you," Joey tells her. "I'm having some major Déjà vu, Em." They had to hurry and reunite with the royals before Max and Bakura could finish them off. They made it back to the mountain and saw Mystery carrying Yami on her back and holding her baby at the same time. "Pharaoh, Mystery," Joey called out.

Bakura and Max noticed them coming and grinned. "Just look. We've brought back some time. Diabound, Angel of Death, let's try this again." And the monsters attack the pharaoh and queen, knocking them towards the end of the cliff. Bakura approached Mystery and saw her hanging on for dear life and holding her husband. Yami kept his grip on his wife's hand and his daughter safe in his other arm. "It seems the tables have turned, hasn't it?"

"What do you want?" Yami asked.

"I want what's rightfully mine," Bakura answers, leaning down and taking the Millennium Puzzle.

"Bakura, leave them alone," Emily shouts. She flies towards him and pushes him away. "Hang on, I'll help you," she tells her parents. She reaches down to take Mystery's hand and pull her up.

Bakura growls and decides to attack her. "No, you can join your family in the Shadow Realm." And he pushes her towards the edge of the cliff, causing all of them to fall.

"No!" the boys cry. They approach the edge and look down, only to see a bottomless pit. "What have you done, Bakura?" Yugi asked him.

Kaiba growls and turns around. "Bakura, you son of a bitch," he shouts, and he deals a punch in his face.

Bakura was surprised, but he didn't find that painful. "I like your style. I could use you." He tries to fight back, but Kaiba shields himself with his wings. Bakura's eyes widened. "How is it possible that you have wings?"

"That's none of your business," Kaiba tells him. Bakura growls and attacks once again. He comes into contact with one of Kaiba's wings and bends it to break it. Kaiba screams in pain and falls back.

"Hey, scar face," Joey shouts to Bakura. "Leave him alone!"

"Fine," Bakura says, stepping away from the brunette. "You fools, you're no match for all of us."

"All of us?" Joey asked.

Kaiba got up and groaned. "Oh, man, I thought it was just him and Max."

"Then you thought wrong," said Max's voice. They all look up and see her standing in front of their minions and Pokémon. The boys know they don't have a chance against the thieves and their army, so they decide to pull back and escape. Max gets down and rejoins her partner.

Bakura grins and says, "You and I are in control of this Shadow Game and reversing the hands of time was simply a mere taste of what we're capable of."

His partner nods. "And now we have five more Millennium Items to seize." And they leave the cliff and return home with their prizes.


	11. Lost and Found

Lost and Found

Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba found a cave near the cliff where they could hide. "We should be safe here for the time being," Yugi assumed. "Are you all right, Kaiba?"

"I'm fine," he insisted. "But I think my wing's broken." He tried to move it, but his wing was in too much pain. He remembered feeling something snap when Bakura attacked him. This wasn't good. With a broken wing, not only would Kaiba not be able to fly, but he also wouldn't be able to fold his wings back or even bend. "That bastard made a stiff out of me. Damn it!" But he had to take it easy. He didn't need to cause more pain than he was already in.

Joey spoke up and said, "We've got to find Emily. She's the only one who knows healing magic. We've got to find the pharaoh and queen too."

"We can't," Kaiba told him. "This was a Shadow Game and, well, they lost."

"What are you saying?" Yugi asked him.

Joey understood what the brunette meant. "He's got a point. Everyone we know who lost the Shadow Game lost their souls. And what's worse, Em went down with her parents."

Yugi disagreed. "Not this time. I'm telling you, the pharaoh and his family are okay." As his friends face him in confusion, he explains, "Think about it, guys, remember what Shadi said? We're in the world of the pharaoh's memory."

Joey was still confused. "I don't follow you, Yuge."

"Look around you, everything's still here, right? So the pharaoh must still be here too. And that means that Emily and Queen Mystery are also still around."

"Oh, I get it," Kaiba was saying. "If his memories are still here, then he and his family are still here too."

Yugi nods. "Now all we have to do is search the place until we find the royal family."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Joey asked.

"We got this far, didn't we?" Yugi asked. "The rest should be a piece of cake." Kaiba was glad to know that the royal family was still around. He sighed and smiled, knowing they would be okay.

And the royal family was okay. A fall like that could easily kill anybody, but the royals weren't mere mortals. Being the spellbound acrobats they were, Emily and Mystery were able to help Yami get down to the ground safely. He was still in a little pain from the Shadow Game. Emily found a cave nearby and carefully helped him inside. Not that Yami wasn't glad to see Emily or even grateful for her help, but he had to ask how she came to this world.

"We had to come," Emily tells him. "We knew you would be in danger and we had to help you. You should know we never turn away from one another. And don't worry, together we're going to end this fight."

Yami smiled. "Thank you, Emily."

She smiles back and nods. "For now, just try to get some rest. We'll look for Yugi and the others tomorrow." Yami positions himself near the wall and closes his eyes. To help him recover, Emily uses her magic to heal him.

Mystery sat down near the entrance and finished calming her baby down and finally got her to sleep. When Emily finished healing Yami, Mystery called her over. Carefully, she approaches the queen. "I didn't believe it at first," Mystery was saying. "But when I looked at you and heard you call the pharaoh your father, I asked myself if it was true. Now I know, you are my baby," she says, hugging her daughter.

Emily hugged her back. "That's right."

Mystery let her go and looked at her again. This young lady standing before her was the girl her baby was going to become. "Did you and your friends really come from the future?"

"We did," Emily answered. "We came to help you guys to save our world. If Bakura and Max succeed in bringing about darkness and destroying this kingdom, then our world will, well, never exist. And if that happens, my friends and I won't exist either."

The queen turned away. "I see. That's how you know so much about what's going on."

"Queen Mystery-,"

"Oh, you don't have to address me that way," she insisted. "Please, call me 'Mother'. After all, we are family. You can even call me 'Mama' if you prefer."

"Do you really mean that?" Emily asked. Not that she didn't want to accept the gesture, but it had just been so long since she actually addressed her mother. Seeing the tears in Emily's eyes, Mystery asks her what's wrong. "I'm sorry, it's just," she says, sitting next to her. "It's just been so long since I've last actually been able to say that name because I've been without a mother for so long. Now I feel like I'm being reunited with her again."

The queen places her arm over Emily to soothe her. "It's all right, darling. I understand." She truly did understand. Her own mother died long ago and she had only just become one. But this was her daughter and she was her mother. "Emily, you are my one and only baby girl. And no matter what happens, nothing will ever change that. I will _always_ be with you."

Emily places her head on Mystery lap and continues crying. "Thank you, Mama," she sobbed. It felt good for her to be able to say that after so many years.

Far away in the outskirts, Bakura and Max returned to the dead village Kul Elna. It felt good to be home again after all these years. But there was no time for that. The two thieves had business to attend to. They went to the underground shrine where the Millennium Stone rested. This contained the force that caused the border between the human world and the Shadow Realm to open. Returning the Millennium Items to the Stone would open the border again.

"Now, Lord Cobalt, we give you two offerings," Bakura says, taking the Millennium Puzzle off from around his neck. "First the Millennium Puzzle, the treasure in which the other Items revolve. This we obtained from the king of Egypt himself, once we cast him and his family to the shadows, that is." He removes the Millennium Ring and places it in the Stone as well.

"It's working," said Max. "As soon as all seven Millennium Items are returned to their resting place, the border between this realm and the world beyond will be unlocked once again."

"Only then can Zorc, the Dark One be unleashed," said Bakura. "The very being that created the Shadow Realm eons ago will return to envelop the world in darkness." Dark magic began to emerge from the Millennium Stone. It took the shape of an arm and grabbed the heir of Cobalt. "What have I done to anger you?"

"Bakura," a deep voice called, "find the missing key."

"But what is the missing key?" he asked in confusion, and was tossed across the room.

"Find it," the voice growled.

"A missing key," Max echoed, helping her partner stand up. "What could he have meant by that?"

Bakura suddenly remembered. "When the pharaoh defeated Zorc, he couldn't destroy the darkness, so he locked it away." He walks across the floor and approaches the Millennium Stone. "There's only one way to unleash this beast and for centuries, only the pharaoh knew the answer. And that do-gooder didn't tell a soul. And now he's gone. Still, I thought I figured it out. I was under the impression that the key to unlocking the darkness was by retuning Millennia's treasures to this Stone."

"Well, apparently, there's another element," Max says, taking the Millennium Puzzle. "A missing key," she said again, "the identity of which exists only in the pharaoh's mind. Unfortunately, His Majesty wiped his own memory clean, so now, not even he knows the answer."

Then something snapped inside Bakura. "Wait, that's it! It was in front of us the whole time; the missing key!"

Max realized it too. The missing key was the inscription on the tablet that had been worn away. "It was removed from that tablet. All you and I have to do is find it." And they both begin cackling.

Out in the desert, Yugi and Joey carefully lifted Kaiba back on the edge where they got separated from their friends. He wasn't too heavy to lift, but they lifted him by his arms, which made the brunette feel like his limbs were going to tear from his body. Having supernatural powers seems like a cool thing at first, but everything has its cons as well as its pros.

Looking in the distance, the boys saw that they had come to the Nile River. Yugi was about to give up hope. "I'm starting to think we'll never find the pharaoh or Emily. Not even the queen."

Joey showed more optimism. "I have a feeling they're all somewhere along this river, Yugi. I mean, hey, they need food and water, right?" At first, Kaiba thought Joey was thinking with his stomach instead of his head, but he immediately agreed. Together, they went down the hills and approached the water.

Mana and Jirachi were sitting together at the river's bank. Mana was still upset about her master's fate and committed herself to her training. But as her magic continued to get a little out of hand, it made her feel worse. Mana was beginning to lose hope for herself in becoming a great magician like Mahad. With her teacher gone, Mana didn't know how she would be able to improve herself. The one person she looked to for guidance and support was gone. Jirachi stayed with Mana because she needed his comfort and help to keep her happy.

The boys stopped and saw Mana and Jirachi sitting together near the river. Joey tried calling to them. "Hello, guys?"

"Don't bother," said Kaiba, "they can't hear us."

But the magician and the Pokémon could hear their voices. They turned around and looked at Yugi, mistaking him for the pharaoh. "What happened to you, my king?" Mana asked Yugi. "You've shrunk and you're dressed in strange clothing." She looked at Kaiba and Joey and mistook them for her other friends. "So are Seto and Joseph."

"Guess it's safe to assume they can see us," said Joey.

"They must be like the queen," Kaiba wondered.

"Wait a minute," Jirachi says. He approaches Yugi and begins sniffing him. "You're not the king. You certainly don't smell like the king. Hey! Whaa-?" he cries, feeling something grabbing him.

Joey was holding him in his hands. "This is awesome, a real Pokémon!"

Jirachi didn't know what he was talking about. "I'm a monster, peasant!" he scolded. He bit down on Joey's hand to make him let go. "And a royal one too." Joey rubbed his hand and apologized.

Kaiba saw something in the water and went to check it out. Looking at the brunette, Mana noticed wings on his back. That made her wonder if Kaiba was a demon disguised as her friends. But Yugi told her that he wasn't a demon and that he was a human. Kaiba called for his friends' attention. "Hey, guys, check this out. I thought it was something I could use to help my pain, but look."

"You're supposed to be searching for the royal family, not for a way to fix your wing," Joey reminded him. Kaiba turned around and showed his friends a dark cloth over his broken wing. He couldn't bend and reach, so he used a branch to fish it out of the water and place it over his shoulders. Joey looked at the cloth and said it looked exactly like the pharaoh's cape. "How'd you get that?"

"I fished it out and now it's stuck on my wing," Kaiba answered.

Joey gently removed it and asked him, "You didn't happen to see the pharaoh, did you?"

"If I did, I would have called you guys over to where I was," Kaiba replied. "Plus, if he was still wearing it, I wouldn't have been able to get over my wing."

"Will you stop thinking about your wing already?"

Yugi told the blonde and the brunette to break it up. "The important thing is we found something of the pharaoh's. That means the royal family must be around here somewhere, right? So let's find them."

"If you're not the pharaoh," Mana was telling Yugi, "then that must mean that the king is missing!"

"We just said that," the blonde and brunette say in unison.

Jirachi apologized on behalf of his friend. "You'll all have to forgive Mana."

The magician agreed. "Yeah, sometimes it takes me a little while to catch on."

"Will you guys help us to look for them?" Yugi asked Mana and Jirachi. "I'm assuming the both of you are friends with the royal family, right?"

"Actually, they're our _closest_ friends," Mana clarified.

"Mine too," said Yugi. "But I know we're going to find them soon."

"You're their friend?" Jirachi asked in confusion.

"We all are," said Joey. "The four of us have been pals with the royal family for years."

"Then why don't Jirachi and I know you?" the magician asked.

"And what do you mean 'four'?" her friend added. "I only see three of you."

"We came in a group of four, but we got separated. But we know she's with the royal family," Kaiba explained. "As for your first question, it's too long a story."

"You can tell us all about it on the way," said the Pokémon.

Yugi's smile brightened up. "You mean you'll help us?"

Jirachi smiled back. "We will."

"We will?" Mana asked.

"Mana, all of our friends are missing, but they're with each other," Jirachi explains to her. "If we work together, we can find all of our friends. And we can learn more about these strangers too."

The magician saw that the Pokémon was making more sense than she was, so she turned around and told the boys, "Jirachi and I are more than happy to help you in finding your friend and the royal family." The boys are happy to hear that, but before they start cheering, they all hear howling and barking. "What's that?" Mana asks.

They turn around and see Max and Bakura's Pokémon charging in to attack them. "I take it they're not friendly," Joey assumed.

"Those dogs are a lot of things," Jirachi was saying.

"But friendly's not one of them," Mana finished. "So you three promise you and your missing friend are friends with the royal family, right?" Seeing Yugi nod, she promises, "That means you're our friends too!"

"Our friends too," Jirachi echoed. Together, the magician and the Pokémon fight to protect their new friends. Jirachi uses Swift to shoot white and yellow stars at Mightyena and Houndoom. After that, he uses Psychic to attack Arcanine. To wrap things up, Mana uses her wand to create a tidal wave and wash the dogs away. With the dogs drenched and trying to recover from the attacks, Mana and the boys take this chance to escape.

The small cave the royals were resting in was only a few miles away from where Yugi and the others currently were. Mystery and Emily – the infant and the teenager – were sitting near the water. Yami remained inside as he was still resting. He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't really awake either. His mind was too full of all that was happening. _My Millennium Puzzle_ , _it's gone,_ he wondered. _It's in Bakura's hands now._

He began remembering what Bakura and Max said on the day they came to the palace and attacked. "Oh, Pharaoh, how about a history lesson," Bakura paused and added, "About your father? He destroyed our village when he fashioned the seven Millennium Items in a selfish attempt to further his own power!"

"Of course, he went on to lie to everyone about how he forged the Millennium Items to fulfill Millennia's wishes and restore peace and harmony. Of course, we knew better than to be fooled by a ruthless dictator like him," Max added. "All your king really desired was power. He wanted to use Millennia's power to control the world."

There was no way for Yami to know if it was a fact or a lie. _Did my father really bring harm to innocent people in order to create the seven Millennium Items? Or did he rule justly and try to fulfill the wishes of a great and peaceful goddess? I wish I remembered more about him._

As if his wish to remember was heard, scenes from his past began to play in his mind, starting from birth. He was born in the palace and presented to his father, who presented him to the public. Yami also began to remember taking his first steps. He tripped and fell, but his father encouraged him to try again. Yami wasn't hurt, but he felt like falling was a bad thing to do. But King Aknamkanon consoled him and reminded him that falling helps us to get back up and keep trying.

Another memory was playing in his mind. It was from when he was a boy and his father asked him and Mystery to come with him. "Must we go with you, Father," Yami asked King Aknamkanon. "I don't like this place. What are we doing here, anyway?"

"This is something that the both of you need to witness," he tells his son. "Now follow me."

"Why is it so dark here?" Mystery asked.

"You needn't be afraid," the king assured his children. "This sanctuary is protected by the Egyptian Gods themselves. As long as you show your respect, nothing here will harm you." But Yami was too afraid to keep going. He didn't want to do anything that he feared might provoke the Gods. He wanted to turn around and go back, but his father told him he didn't have a choice. "Stay close and be aware of your surroundings at all times."

Yami paid no attention to where he was going. A part of the path was unsteady and broke below his feet, causing the prince to slip and fall. Mystery got down and tried to bring her love back on the edge, but the pharaoh stopped her. "Lift yourself up, my boy," he told his son. Yami uses his strength to climb back up and get back on the path.

"I'm so sorry," Mystery whispered. But she had to do as she was told. There was actually a lesson in this; it was for Yami to find his own strength and not have to need to be rescued. He quickly learned that when he saw the dark blue amulet around his neck glowing. He even forgave Mystery.

They stopped and came to the main room. "Who are all these people," Yami asked, seeing the caskets on the arc.

"The pharaohs that came before," his father answered. King Aknamkanon got down and began praying. "Egyptian Gods, hear me, I have committed a crime beyond atonement and for this, I am truly sorry. By bringing the seven Millennium Items into this world, I have disgraced the Great Goddess Millennia and destroyed the lives of thousands. I bear full responsibility for these actions. Please, spare my son and future daughter-in-law," he begged, crying. "Do not punish them for the misdeeds of their father."

"Are you all right, my Lord?" Mystery asked, holding her hands to her chest.

Yami agreed. "Why is it you're crying?" But he found himself wanting to cry too; not out of fear, but of concern and sorrow.

Lightning began to flash across the room. The children cowered, wondering if the Gods were unleashing their wrath. "Fear not, my children," King Aknamkanon told Yami and Mystery. "You're safe now."

Then Yami remembered what really happened that day. His father surrendered his own safety to ensure his children's. Not just Yami's and Mystery's, but the rest of their friends; all of the Children of Millennia. The pharaoh did it so that they could continue his legacy and fulfill Millennia's wishes. Yami opens his eyes and sees a strange figure standing before him. It looked like a man garbed in a white cloak and a golden mask. "Who's there?"

"I am he who is known as Hasan," the masked man answered. "I have come to warn you of an impending danger, my pharaoh: Zorc, the Dark One will soon awaken."

"Who is Zorc?"

"An entity born from the will of the Dark Lord Cobalt," Hasan answered.

Yami gasped hearing that. "Please tell me what I can do to stop him," he pleaded. But when he sat up, he saw that Hasan was gone and he was alone in the cave.

"When the time is right, you will now," Hasan's voice said and faded.

Yami stands up and begins to walk outside the cave. _I must warn the others,_ he thought to himself. He came out and saw his family outside.

Emily turned around and gasped as she saw him. "Father," she whispered. She stands up and approaches him to hug him. "You're okay. I was so worried," she sobs, hugging him.

He holds her and strokes his fingers though her hair. It didn't matter if she was an infant or a teenager. She was his daughter and he loved her. And it was because of his love that he knew he had to protect his family, but he didn't know at what cost. More than that, he also had to protect Millennia's dream and all that his father struggled to build. He let Emily go and turned his attention to Mystery. They looked at each other for one moment and began holding each other as well.

Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey began filling Mana and Jirachi in with all of the details as they continued the search. In turn, the magician and the Pokémon shared a few details of their own. "That was pretty cool," Yugi complemented. "I've never met a real magician before. You were awesome, too, Jirachi."

"Well, I'm really only half a magician considering only half of my spells actually work," Mana admitted.

"Mana's still in training," Jirachi told the boys. "I don't really like to fight, but I'll do anything to protect my friends."

Yugi looked away for a minute and began talking to the royal Pokémon again. "You know, Jirachi, back where I come from, there's a card game called Pokémon. I'm sure you've never heard of it, but there are lots of different creatures in the game and you're one of them."

Jirachi was confused. "I'm part of a game?"

"Well, sort of," Yugi answered. "You're really powerful and have cool abilities and I bet if you keep battling, you can be all that the game says you are. And you know what else? You're my friend's favorite Pokémon."

"Joey said that word too," said Jirachi. "What exactly is a Pokémon? And this friend of yours, is it the one you mentioned earlier?"

Apparently, Yugi forgot that in ancient times, Pokémon were called by a different name. Rather than answer his first question and explain what he means, he decides to answer the second question. "Mm-hmm. Her name is Emily. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and she's very nice; one of the best friends we ever had."

"She has the same name as our princess," said Mana. "That's amazing."

"Yugi," Jirachi was saying, "Does Mana remind you of anything from back home?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, there's another card game called Duel Monsters and there's a character in the game that looks just like her."

"So you're saying I'm a character like Jirachi?"

"That's not what I meant," Yugi answered. "Her name is Dark Magician Girl and she's really powerful. She also happens to be Emily's favorite character. And I bet if you keep practicing your spells, you can be just as strong as she is."

Mana started giving some thought into it. "Listening to what you're saying, I'm thinking about changing my name. You know, to Dark Magician Girl. What do you guys think?"

"No!" Jirachi snapped. He flies up to her and tells her why he's against it. "You're Mana because you were named Mana. And Mana is the name of my friend and everyone else's friend. Friends accept one another for who they are. And I love you for being you and that's Mana. Changing your name is like changing who you are and I don't want Mana to go away."

The magician places her hand over Jirachi to hug him. "I'm sorry, Jirachi. I thought it would be a great name I could take for once being under the apprenticeship of the Dark Magician. Besides, no matter what happens to me, I'll always be Mana to you just like how my master will always be Mahad to me." And they both begin hugging.

When they all come to the edge of the hill, they look down and see the Yami, Mystery, and Emily. The three of them turn around hearing their friends. "Yugi, is that you?"

"You bet it is, Pharaoh!"

"Hey, long time no see, you royal family, you," said Joey.

"What's up, guys?" Kaiba greeted.

Emily was so happy to see her friends; she started crying of happiness. "Hi, everybody," she cried, drying her tears. "Good to see you!" Her parents look up and smile at the rest of their friends as well. Mana slides down with Jirachi on her shoulders and Yugi and Joey carry Kaiba down. Seeing that Kaiba's hurt, the queen flies over to him and uses her magic to heal him. Chills and burns spread through his wing, but he folds it up and opens it again. Not feeling pain, Kaiba's wing is healed and he can fly again. It gives him such a great feeling, he begins flying around. Mana and Jirachi approach Yami and begin hugging him. Emily does the same thing to Yugi and Joey.


	12. So close, yet so far

So close, yet so far

Now that everyone was reunited, they could learn about what was going on. "I've heard about Bakura and Max," Yugi tells Yami. "So they're the evil force you battled all those years ago."

"There's more to it than that," the pharaoh tells his partner. "While Max wields the powers of the Cobalt Star, Bakura is the true heir of the Dark Lord. And now that he and Mystery have met, it means that the Battle of the Gods has begun once again. Max and Bakura will stop at nothing to fulfill Cobalt's wishes and destroy Millennia. That's why they've been attacking us. And now they have our Puzzle; an item passed down to me by my father."

"Your father," gasped Yugi. "Does that mean your memory's back?"

Yami shook his head. What he saw earlier was only a fragment of his childhood. He had a long way to go before he could regain all of his memories. He did know this much and told his friends, "My father was a powerful leader and one of the finest followers of the Great Goddess. He wanted to fulfill her wishes of bringing peace and so he created the Millennium Items. But I'm afraid these seven objects also have a dark side."

"Oh, so I guess that explains why Bakura and Max want to get ahold of them," Joey assumed. "To corrupt their powers and use them to carry out Cobalt's will of bringing darkness, right, Pharaoh?"

"Correct, and I have to do everything in my power to stop them like I did in the past."

"Well, we're all here to help you," Yugi promised.

Kaiba wondered, "Hey, did you ever find out what your name is?"

In answer, Yami shows them that the cartouche Emily gave him is still blank. "No one here calls me by my real name. They refer to me as 'king' or 'pharaoh'."

Then he heard Mana calling him. "Pharaoh, come on in! The water's nice!" And she and Jirachi splash each other playfully.

Mystery and Emily were sitting a few feet apart from the others and were still spending a little mother and daughter quality time. Mana came out of the river with Jirachi and dried herself off and approached them. "Uh, hi there," Emily said to Mana.

The magician looked at her for a few seconds. "You're more beautiful than I imagined. And you're just as the guys described."

The queen remembers her manners. "Emily, dear, these are two of my best friends, Mana and Jirachi. And I believe you have them to thank for helping Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba to find us."

The magician and the Pokémon smile and blush. "Don't mention it," said Mana. "That's what friends are for."

"Hi, Mana. Hi, Jirachi," Emily told her new friends. "It's nice to meet you." And she holds out her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Emily," Mana says, shaking her hand. Jirachi flies closer to the blonde girl and begins admiring her.

A few minutes later, royal soldiers arrive being led by Joseph and Shada. "My pharaoh and queen," Shada was saying. "It's true, you're safe."

"Yes, we're sorry to have alarmed everyone," Yami apologized.

Joey approached his ancient self and waved his hand in front of his face. He remembered that Joseph didn't see him before, but he wanted to make sure it was still so. "He can't see me, right?"

"Hey," Joseph cried. Joey thought he was yelling at him, which caused him to step back and yelp, but his ancestor was really calling out to the magician and the Pokémon, who were trying to sneak away. "Mana, Jirachi, halt!"

"Oh, hello, Joseph," Jirachi said nervously.

Mana joined him and added, "We didn't even see you there."

"The both of you knew the royal family's whereabouts all along?" Shada asked.

They look at each other for a second and smile nervously and reply, "Maybe, maybe not?"

"These guys sure mean business," Emily whispered. Mana snickered in agreement.

Mystery faced Emily and placed her finger to her lips. "Shh, mind your manners."

There were actually important things to consider. Shada and Joseph had learned from their friends, the members of Council Rock, that Max and Bakura's trails had been traced to a deserted village once known as Kul Elna. Hearing this, Yami decides to lead the army out to Kul Elna.

"I'm coming with you," Mystery told her husband.

"And so are we," said Joey.

Yami wouldn't let them come along. "I'm afraid it's much too dangerous for you to join me. Bakura and Max have challenged me to a Shadow Game with the ultimate stakes." He faces his wife directly and tells her, "Take our daughter back to the palace. The both of you will be safe there." He turns his attention to the others and tells them, "The rest of you should go back to your world and let me deal with mine." Without giving any of them a chance to debate, he rides off, leading his army to the outskirts.

"It was nice meeting you," Mana called to her new friends.

"I'm telling you, he needs all the help he can get," Joey said, watching the pharaoh leave.

"From us?" Kaiba asked. "Wheeler, we can't even touch a rock in this world. So what can we do to help?"

"I don't know," the blonde lad replied. "But I'm not quitting that easily."

Yugi agreed. "Joey's right. The pharaoh would never give up on us, right?"

"No way," said Emily.

"And we're not giving up on him either," Joey finished.

Kaiba sighed and said, "You're right."

Mystery felt the same way they did. She wanted to help her husband just as much. But deep down, she didn't have the strength or spirit to fight. So she decided, "I agree, but not now. My husband is fighting for all of us, so no matter how worried I am about him, I have to have faith in him and in the Great Goddess. So it would be best to do as he says." She smiles at the team and suggests, "Instead of going home, why don't you all come back with me to the palace?"

They were all surprised to hear her say that. "You mean it?" Joey asked.

She did. "It's the least I can do repay you children for saving our lives. And I'm sure you're all tired and hungry after all you've been through. Come back with me and we'll have you all restored."

It was a great opportunity and they all knew that they would be fools to pass it up. Yugi and his friends agreed that they would need their strength back before they could help the pharaoh. So they accepted the queen's gracious offer. The truth was she didn't want them to leave. To tell them to go home would mean that she didn't want the help they were giving. That would mean that they had come all this way for nothing. The queen also didn't want Yugi and his friends in harm's way of helping the pharaoh; not after seeing what Max and Bakura were capable of. That would also mean destroying whatever hope she has left for the future.

Joseph was confused at what was going on. "Queen Mystery, if I may ask, who are you talking to?" He was hoping she wasn't going mad.

"My new friends," she answered.

"I'm sorry, but I don't see anybody."

The queen had an idea on how she could help him. "Face your front and close your eyes, but keep your ears open." He does as told and closes his eyes to listen to his surroundings. "Now open."

Joseph slowly opens his eyes and manages to see Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, and Emily. Startled, he jumps back and gasps. "Wow, there really are people here." He gets back up and approaches Joey. "You look like a younger me dressed in weird clothes."

"I guess that's because I'm you," Joey told his ancestor as they were mimicking each other's stance.

The queen nods. "These children are our descendants and they've come to help us."

"Descendants?" Joseph echoed. "You mean, these kids are us from the future?"

"Yes. Last night, they rescued me and my husband when Max and Bakura attacked us. To show my gratitude, I have decided to invite them as guests to the palace."

He turns his attention back to Yugi and his friends. This was a lot for him to take in. But if the queen trusted them, then perhaps there was no harm in him doing the same thing. So he gets down to kneel before them. "Thank you for saving my king, my queen, and my princess," he says gratefully. "Allow me to serve you and provide the best hospitality on Queen Mystery's behalf." The problem was his Flygon wouldn't be able to carry everybody. But Yugi told him it wasn't necessary because he and his friends had wings and could fly beside him. Joseph was becoming even more surprised, but also thrilled. So he and Mystery rode on Flygon with the gang flying beside them.

When they got to the palace, Joseph escorted the team to a guest room on the top floor. The queen wanted to make them feel at home, but she asked them not to wander about in the palace. Yugi understood her concern. For all he and his friends knew so far, they couldn't be seen by the general public. But it was starting to become clear that they could be seen by the pharaoh or anyone close to him. And if there were other people in the palace who were close to Yami, Yugi and the others would gain a lot of unwanted attention. They didn't want to take that chance, so they promised the queen that they would stay in their room.

Joey was starting to feel better already with the food that was brought to him and his friends. It was good he felt more hungry than tired. "I gotta tell ya, Em, I really like your mom. She knows how to treat her guests at home and tend to their needs. The accommodations may not be like they are back home, but they don't call this place a palace for nothing."

"Let's not get carried away," she told him. "We're not staying here forever. And don't forget why we're here in the first place."

"I know, I know," Joey was saying. "But that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the queen's hospitality. And don't you think you should be showing a bit more gratitude as her daughter?"

"I appreciate what she's doing, but we can't neglect my father."

"None of us can," said Yugi. "But she's right. We need to build back our strength before we can take action. We've also got to think of a plan."

"A little food and rest never hurt either," Joey added. Hearing yelling and animal cries, the blonde finally stops eating and looks outside. When he does, he sees Mightyena, Arcanine, and Houndoom attacking the palace courtyard. "Look, guys, those Pokémon are back."

"I'm glad we're in here and they're out there," Emily said, looking outside.

Yugi looked outside too. "Don't you think it's weird? I mean, why haven't they come after us since the pharaoh left?"

Kaiba finally spoke up and said, "Look, we're safe. So who cares? We should be focusing our energy on figuring out how we can help the pharaoh win."

Emily agreed. "Kaiba's got a point. If we want my mother and father to defeat Bakura and Max just like they did in the past, then we have to do our part too."

"That's right, now let's think, shall we?" Kaiba asked. "When the pharaoh first saved Egypt from destruction, he mysteriously lost his memory." He paused for a moment, then wondered, "Well, what if, for some reason, he did that on purpose?"

"Are you suggesting that the pharaoh erased his own mind?" Yugi questioned. Thinking about it, it actually makes sense to him. "I can't believe we never thought of that before! It was right in front of our faces and we missed it! The pharaoh must've been protecting some sort of secret that only he knew about!"

"Right," said Kaiba.

Joey was confused. "Could you slow down? I'm totally lost."

"The pharaoh didn't just forget his past," Yugi explains. "He wiped his memory clean so that nobody could bring back the evil that he locked away!"

Emily placed her finger to her chin and wondered, "What do you think he was trying to hide?" Then it came to her. "His real name!" she gasped.

Yugi agreed. "His name had to stay a secret."

"And how did you guys figure this out?" Joey asked.

Kaiba decides to elaborate so the blonde can understand. "Think about it. The pharaoh's name was removed from that stone tablet, remember? He must've used his name like a password for locking that evil creature away. And now, Bakura and Max are trying to release that monster to dominate the world."

"So once Bakura and Max get ahold of the Millennium Items and the Millennium Star and set that thing free, I bet the pharaoh can only stop it if he knows his real name!" Yugi said in conclusion.

"No way!" Now Joey was catching on. "So we've gotta find it and tell the pharaoh!"

"And unfortunately, we're running out of time, guys," said Emily.

Kaiba got up from the bed. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's find that name."

"Yeah, and how are we going to do that?" Joey asked. "The pharaoh doesn't remember a thing. And it'd be stupid to ask the queen because she would expect us to know."

Yugi had another idea. "If we look around the palace, we're bound to find some records that will lead us in the right direction."

It was a good suggestion, but the gang remembered their promise to the queen. They weren't allowed to freely wander the palace. But this was an emergency and they had to go back on their word. The pharaoh's future was in the balance and so was everyone else's. So they agreed to split up and return to their room in one hour.

Yugi came to a hall with different inscriptions on the walls and wondered if maybe the pharaoh's name was written. But he would have no way of knowing because he couldn't read ancient hieroglyphics anyway. Joey tried speaking to the royal handmaids, but remembered that they couldn't see or hear him. Emily came to what looked like the palace library with all of the books and scrolls on the shelves. She tried to look through the contents, but couldn't touch anything. Kaiba actually seemed to find what he and his friends were looking for. He came to a room that contained the records of every pharaoh in history. But when he came to the last tablet, he saw that it was blank, which made no sense. But as hopeless as everything seemed, the heroes would not give up on their search.


	13. The Game

The Game

In the ruins of Kul Elna, Yami was finally able to defeat Diabound and the Angel of Death with the help of his friends. But Max and Bakura would not yield. "This isn't over, Pharaoh," Bakura groaned. "Zorc, the Dark One will return and your empire will crumble. The Millennium Items and the Millennium Star will be ours. Mark my words."

"I'm afraid it's all over, Bakura. Your plans of destruction will never come to pass and Cobalt's wishes will never be fulfilled. So let it be written, so let it be done. In the name of the Great Goddess Millennia, the land of Egypt shall once again know peace."

"Never," growled the two thieves. They take the Millennium Items they stole and place them in the Millennium Stone.

"That's enough," said Yami. "Now return those Items to me."

"Those Items stay where they are," said a familiar voice. Everyone turned around and saw Aknadin in the stairwell. "Pharaoh, I am responsible for the creation of the Millennium Items and I will decide their fate."

The others look and see the Millennium Key in his hand, but before they can ask him what's going on, Bakura and Max chuckle and begin disappearing. The sound of sinister chuckling also fills the area. "We were just using those fools as our pawns."

"Who are you?" Yami asked, looking around.

"It's time you learned the true nature of this Shadow Game," echoed Max's voice.

"Explain yourself," Yami demanded.

Shada weakly came down the stairs and warned his friends that Aknadin was a traitor and they had to stop him. He tried to take back his Millennium Key, but the old man fended him off. "Aknadin, what is the meaning of this?" Jirachi asked the old man. "Have you gone mad?"

"I don't know who's controlling your mind, but this ends now," Yami tells Aknadin.

"A new king shall soon rise," he announced.

"Hold your tongue," Seto demanded. "How dare you utter such venomous words! And in the presence of the great pharaoh, no less!"

"Silence," Aknadin shouted and used his magic to immobilize him.

"Seto can't move," said Jirachi.

Mana agreed. "It's almost like he's-"

"Frozen in time? Why, yes," Aknadin finished and did the same thing to the others. "This should hold you for a while; long enough for me to complete what Bakura and Max couldn't." He began seizing the rest of the Millennium Items and continued ranting about the fall of Yami's empire and starting over in a new age of darkness by serving the Dark Lord Cobalt.

Max's voice filled the room once again. "That's right, return the seven treasures to their resting place."

"You've proven yourself to be a worthy pawn, Aknadin. Now complete your task and our ultimate Shadow Game will be nearly complete," said Bakura's voice.

Yami was confused and didn't know how he could still be hearing Max and Bakura's voices if they had disappeared into the shadows after losing their Shadow Game. It all should have come to an end unless… then he began to wonder, was this all just a game? Thinking about it caused Yami to snap out of it like he was coming out of a dream. He came to and found himself sitting at a table portraying some sort of gaming field. He also saw Max and Bakura sitting across from him in their own chairs.

"Leave it to you to sleep through the most important game of your life," Bakura tells him.

"Where are we," he asked his opponents.

"Why, we're in the Shadow Realm, of course, sitting before the playing field." the heir of Cobalt answered. "After all, we promised you a Shadow Game, didn't we? Max and I are always true to our word." Yami wasn't in the mood for any games; especially with Max and Bakura. But it was too late. He was in the middle of one. "The field is the world of Ancient Egypt and the pawns are the people of your past," Bakura explained.

"Are you saying that everything we do affects the events of the past?" Yami questioned. "Just when I think the two of you can't sink any lower, you and Max prove me wrong, Bakura; manipulating the lives of others just so you can play out some twisted game?"

"Not some game, _the_ game," Max corrected. "And as soon as we release Zorc from the Millennium Stone, the final stage of this game will begin."

"Wait, so if I don't defeat Zorc, that means I lose the game?"

"You'll lose more than that," said Bakura, "like those meddling twits you call your friends. They entered a world they didn't belong in. So when they playing field disappears, they'll be trapped in the shadows and you'll never see them again."

"If you want to save your friends, you'll have to win the game," Max was saying. "However, at the moment, all of your pawns are frozen in time, thanks to this handy device," she says, placing an hourglass on the table. It was one of the three hourglass tokens she and Bakura possessed. "My hourglass token freezes time for every character in the game except for ours," she explained.

"So you can manipulate time?" Yami asked.

"That's right, and it's not the first time it's been done," Bakura says, taking another hourglass token and setting it on the table. "I used this one earlier in the game. Perhaps you recall a little incident during which time went in reverse? Now you know how!"

Then Yami began to remember the night when things went back to the way they were before Yugi and his friends came to the rescue. "So that _was_ you!"

"Guilty as charged," said Bakura. "And he who controls time controls fate. Thanks to these hourglass tokens, Max and I are able to rewrite history three times over the course of the game. You know what that means, right? Your life is under our control!" And he and his partner started cackling.

Looking down at how the game is playing out, Aknadin finishes placing the Millennium Items in the Stone, opening the border and unleashing the Dark One. He denounces his allegiance to Millennia and swears fealty to Cobalt in return for the power to bring about the age of darkness and making Seto become the new king. Zorc grants him the power and turns him into a wicked being called the Great Shadow Negas.

"What have you done to Aknadin?" Yami asked the two thieves.

"We haven't done a thing," Max answered. "All of these events are reoccurring just as they did five thousand years ago," she pauses and adds, "with some small modifications, of course."

Her partner agreed. "She's telling the truth. Thanks to this Shadow Game of ours, Max and I are able to influence certain events. You see, Pharaoh, in the old days, you managed to lock away your own spirit in order to seal Zorc away. But you won't be so lucky this time. There are still some holes in your memory. I mean, let's face it, Pharaoh, you don't even know your own name; a single word with the power to release Zorc and lock him away. However, Max and I discovered a way to unleash the Dark One without the need for that word." They were referring to their third and final hourglass token.

"If we're going too fast for you, let me make this simple," Max was saying, "When the last grain of sand falls, the mighty entity born from the will of the Dark Lord will rise!" And they begin cackling again. They weren't going to use their last token right away. There were still some things that needed to be done as the game would play out. For now, they would let their wicked knight fight on their behalf.

The Great Shadow Negas was about to attack Yami and the others, but a mysterious figure appeared to protect the royals from the darkness. "This isn't part of the game," Bakura protested as he was watching. "Who has interfered?"

Yami chuckled. "Did you forget? You two aren't the only ones playing this game. I have a token as well."

"Where did you get that?" Max asked, seeing the golden mask in his hand. The token Yami played summoned Hasan to protect his friends. He uses his power to redirect the shadows. It rises up from the game table and comes down like lasers. They strike and destroy two of the three hourglass tokens. "My time freezing hourglass!" Max cried.

"Oh, well," Yami was saying. "It appears time marches on. My friends are now free!" And he was right. With the hourglass destroyed, Yami and his friends were no longer immobile.

But just because he escaped one trap didn't mean he had the game won. Bakura growls and tells him, "It's only a matter of time before the shadows claim your spirit, Pharaoh, and everything you cared about crumbled. Your poor friends are running out of steam." It turned out he and Max added another twist to the game by attaching life sensors to the diadianks of all the players. Yami and the others were low on energy while the Great Shadow Negas was at full power. The bad news is that once an individual's life sensor goes dark, the player gets sent to the Shadow Realm. That rule applied to Yami too. If he were to lose whatever life he had, he would lose the game.

"Are you beginning to understand the brilliance of the Shadow Game we've created?" Max asked Yami. "We are the game masters manipulating the lives of people who lived on this earth five thousand years ago. At times, we're merely observing events exactly as they were played out in the past. Other times, we intervene, manipulating certain actions to change the outcome in our favor. So you might say we're like two different sides of the same coin and we're playing out the Battle of the Gods."

"Max, Bakura, this must end!"

"Of course, every game has an end, Pharaoh," said the heir of Cobalt. "It's just a question of who the victor will be and who will spend eternity roaming the Shadow Realm."

"Again, do you see why we call this the ultimate Shadow Game?" Max asked again. "Here we sit, high above the rest of the world deciding the future of mankind. The fate of the world rests in our hands!"

"That's enough!" Yami shouted. "The both of you may fight for greed and vengeance, but I fight for something else entirely: the safety of my friends, my family, and that of the world. I defeated you two once before and I'll do it again!"

"That's all in the past, Pharaoh," Bakura protested. "Here in this Shadow Game, Max and I have all sorts of advantages we didn't have in our last battle. And since your memory is sketchy and messed, you'll never remember how you won."

"I still have time."

"That's where you're wrong, Pharaoh," said Max. "Time is a luxury we have that you don't. For that, we can begin the countdown of destruction to our choosing. For now, let's continue to play and watch how things will go."

"And when the time does come, everything you know will fall into ruin," said her partner.

"I defeated you five thousand years ago and I'll do it again," Yami said again.

"We'll begin whenever you're ready then," Max said, placing her hand on the hourglass.


	14. Friends to the Rescue

Friends to the Rescue

Just because certain characters weren't playing the game, didn't mean they weren't part of the game. Kisara and Freya sensed that their friends were trouble and needed help. As for Yugi and his friends, the hour of the search was through, so it was time to meet up back in their guest room. This called for another twist. The game was approaching its climax and it wasn't yet time to set the stage. But Max and Bakura got another idea; to return to the game. But first, they needed a little help from the outside. They were going to use the same tactic Yami did when he was feeling weak by gaining a bit of a power boost from a friend. Their vessels from the modern era weren't part of the game, but Bakura and Max knew where they could get the energy they needed. Yami told them it was impossible, but it wouldn't be.

Kaiba was about to regroup with his friends until he felt a pain in his back. He unfolded his wings and one of them was burning up. It was the one Bakura broke the other night. The pain was becoming stronger, making the brunette scream and fall on his knees. And it worked. By draining Kaiba's strength, Max and Bakura were able to return from the shadows. The Shadow Game would still be at a standstill, meaning Yami, Max, and Bakura would continue to sit and watch. But things were about to get interesting. In the meantime, Bakura and Max decided it would be fun to continue tormenting and torturing their opponents, starting with devastating the rest of the sacred guardians.

"This is cheating," Yami reprimanded.

"Not quite," Bakura protested, "we make the rules in this game."

Max sighed. "Oh, well, if only you could remember a little more about your past. Then you might remember how you beat us the first time."

"But no, you had to go and erase your own memory," Bakura added, "giving us the chance to do what we should have done in the past: destroy you and your family."

"But the question is, who will lose their souls to the shadows first," asked Max. "Any guesses? Come on, it's a game. You should have fun." Maybe she and her partner were having fun, but to Yami, this was no game, but a war. Yami knew he had to find a way to put an end to this. If he can't, Bakura and Max will succeed in rewriting history.

Joey found Kaiba and called Yugi and Emily over. Carefully, he placed him on his back. Emily placed her hand on his forehead and felt that it was hot. She couldn't produce ice with her magic, but she was still able to cool him off with her Cure Water spell. Not only did it cool him down, but it was also restoring his strength. The brunette groaned and tried opening his eyes as he heard his friends calling him.

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked. "Kaiba?"

"Come back to us, pal!" Joey pleaded.

His vision finally became clear. He sat up and groaned, "What happened to me?"

"I was on my way back to this room until I heard you screaming," Joey tells him. "When I found you, you collapsed with a fever."

Kaiba stands up and folds his wings out and back. _Bakura must've done something to me when he broke my wing. That was where the pain was coming from._ He places his hand on his forehead to check his temperature. "It came from my wing and started to spread around my body. Then I just blacked out. But somehow, I thought I could hear Blue-Eyes."

When Joey heard him say that, something started coming into mind. "I think I know what you mean. While I was looking around, I could've sworn I could hear Red-Eyes calling me like she was in trouble."

This made Joey and Kaiba starting thinking about Freya and Kisara. They didn't want to forget the importance of finding the pharaoh's name, but something inside was telling the blonde and the brunette that they should take a detour in finding Kisrara and Freya.

Suddenly, the girls and their guardian beasts stopped and appeared before the group. "Seto, is that you?" Kisara asked. "We heard you scream and – hold on, you're not Seto."

Emily's eyes widened. "Hey, you can see us after all."

"It's you," Kaiba said to Kisara. "You're the girl from my visions. You're Kisara."

"And you're Freya, the girl from my dreams," Joey tells her cousin.

The cousins were confused. "But who are you children?" Freya asked. "And why do you look so much like our friends?"

"It's a bit complicated," Yugi replies. "Hey, do you girls have any idea what's going on here?"

"An evil force is threatening our land," Kisara tells him. "We must act quickly or everything will be lost to the Dark Lord Cobalt."

"Let us help you girls and maybe you can help us out too," Joey suggested.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have time. The darkness is coming and we've got to help our friends. Farewell, children," Kisara tells them. Freya follows after her.

Kaiba and Joey both had a bad feeling that the girls were heading for danger and needed help. "I say we follow Kisara and Freya," Joey suggested. "I can't help but feel in my heart that I've got to protect Freya. She means a lot to me." Kaiba nods and says the same thing about Kisara. Neither Yugi nor Emily could argue. They wondered if the cousins were special to their friends because of an ancient bond. Then again, when they looked at Kisara and Freya, they noticed how similar they were to the White and Black Dragons. Perhaps they would know the strength of the bond and how much the girls meant to Joey and Kaiba if they followed the girls.

The group followed Kisara and Freya to a temple in the desert. As the cousins feared, their friends were under attack. The Great Shadow Negas brought Seto to the temple to lure Kisara and Freya into a trap. Joseph found out about the dangers too and came to the rescue.

Yugi and Emily didn't want to get involved this time. They didn't know anything about this monster, so they stayed by the stairwell to watch the fight and encouraged their new friends to be strong. Joey and Kaiba wanted to help, but their friends kept holding them back. Kisara and Freya summoned their Dragons to protect their friends, but the Shadow Creature summoned by the wicked knight withstood their attacks and began using his magic to try to capture the White and Black Dragons and seal them in stone tablets. Seto and Joseph beg the girls to withdraw their monsters, but Kisara and Freya refuse to allow this madman to continue to hurt the men they love. The Great Shadow Negas attacked again, but this time, he attacked Kisara and Freya, fatally wounding them and sealing their Dragons.

The scene was bringing tears to everyone's eyes. Emily turned away and began crying on Joey's chest. Now the blonde lad understood the pain of losing his lost love after witnessing her fate. He felt like his heart was being crushed and his eyes began to fill with tears. Yugi was crying too. Kaiba placed his hand over his friend to console him. Even the brunette was feeling the same pain. "Those poor girls," Yugi sobbed. "They were only trying to protect their friends."

"It's not fair," Emily protested. "What did either of them do to deserve this?"

"Even if we did want to help, what could we have done to stand against that monster?" Kaiba asked.

Feeling a strange sensation, Emily gasped. "I sense a dark presence," she told her friends. She refocused her attention on the scene and noticed something different. The Great Shadow Negas was having a direct conversation with Seto and Joseph. The dark force she sensed was the same presence the Cobalt Star carried. This made her wonder if the Dark Lord was among them. She was half right, actually. The Dark Lord was speaking through his wicked knight, telling Seto and Joseph to relieve themselves of their burdens and fight on. Kaiba could see the expression on Seto's face and knew that his ancestor was being tormented and manipulated; wanting to give in to his darkest desires. Everything was starting to become clear to him now. He was seeing how the demon inside was taking over him.

Finally, Yami and Mystery came to the temple and found their friends. When the pharaoh asked what happened to Kisara and Freya, Seto explained that they were all attacked. Immediately, he pulls himself together and decides he wants to duel the pharaoh. Without giving him a choice, Seto raises his arm and summons the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Yami knew what needed to be done, so he summoned the Dark Magician.

"It's the ancient struggle," said Emily.

Joey was about to charge in to stop the duel, but Kaiba held out his arm to block his way. "We can't interfere this time."

"But we can't let them fight," Joey protested.

"We have to," Kaiba said again. "I've watched this battle several times. I want to see how things ended between the pharaoh and the sorcerer."

Emily knew the story and decided to explain it to her friends. "Seto is loyal and devoted to my mother and father. But after having lost so much, he's tormented by pain and confusion. Seeing him like this, the Dark Lord has convinced Seto to fight with anger and prove he's superior to his leaders. Because he's hurt, Seto is easily manipulated and unsure of what he most desires. But if anybody can break through to Seto, my father can."

"It's just like what happened in Battle City," Kaiba explained. "Your father is doing for my ancestor what he did for me; helping him to conquer the darkness in his heart."

"But why does it have to be between those two?" Joey asked.

"The pharaoh knows that the only way to save his friend is to face his foe. We've all faced that challenge, but this time, it's hard and personal for the pharaoh," said Yugi. "As long as he doesn't give in, the pharaoh will save Seto and help him to see the light."

"Besides, Seto and my father are more than friends," continued Emily. "They're like brothers and share a really strong bond and that bond will save them both."

"And it's like you guys told me," Kaiba was saying, "to continue his path to save mankind, the pharaoh must first start by saving his friend."

As the battle raged on, things started to get physical as the pharaoh and the sorcerer dealt punches at each other. But neither the Dark Magician nor the White Dragon wanted to fight. That was why they weren't even trying to attack each other. It was because the Shadow Creatures carried the souls of two special friends.

Finally, Yami and Seto agreed that they didn't want to fight anymore. But the sorcerer was still feeling weak in spirit. The White Dragon sensed his weakness and approached him. In the dark void of Seto's soul, Kisara's spirit reached out to him to illuminate the darkness and set him free. When Seto came to his senses and saw Yami approach him, the sorcerer welcomed his brother with open arms and began embracing him. Even the White Dragon began comforting the Dark Magician. In the end, Kisara was the real winner of the duel. It was her light that saved her friends.

Seeing how they're all bonding, Joey teases Kaiba. "I'm starting to get an idea on where you get your brotherly love."

"Oh, shut up," said Kaiba. Yugi and the others were glad that the duel ended this way, but were still sad for the loss of the girls. Seeing that it's all over, they approach their ancestors. "That was quite a show," said Kaiba.

Yami heard his voice and was surprised to see his friends. "What are all of you doing here?"

"We followed Kisara and Freya to this place and watched everything from the beginning to the end," said Joey.

"That's not the answer he wants," Kaiba told him. "I know you told us to go home because it wasn't safe here and it's been one disaster after another, but friends never abandon each other. We came all this way to help you and to leave would mean we've done it all for nothing and everything would be lost."

Mystery turns around and sees Seto and Joseph holding Kisara and Freya as they kneel before the tablets of the White and Black Dragons and mourn for their lovers. She really didn't want to lose any more friends, but she and the others need all the help they can get if they expect to save their kingdom and the future. "I knew as much, which is why I asked Yugi and his friends to stay. They seem to know more about what's going on than we do, so I say we work together."

"It's not the first time we put ourselves in harm's way," said Emily.

"But this time is different," Yami protested.

"How is it different?" Kaiba argued. "This isn't a game, that we know. We also know it's a fight that will decide the fate of the world. We risk life and limb looking out for each other and working together to save mankind. No matter how hard you push us away, we'll stand by you."

"But, Kaiba-,"

"But nothing," the brunette continued. "You stood by me when I struggled, now I'm standing by you in your battles. In all the times I pushed you away, you refused to give up on me. Well, you're not giving up now; not when we've come this close."

The queen sets her hand on her husband's shoulder. "We don't have to do this alone."

Yami knew that everyone around him was telling the truth. He had been saying the exact same thing many times before; that everyone is best united as a team. So he accepted their help.

Seto was confused and could have sworn he heard someone speaking with his voice. He thought he was losing it until he turned around and saw the pharaoh and queen talking to Yugi and his friends. He set Kisara down, approached Joseph, and gently tapped his shoulder. When the blonde looked up and gave him his attention, he asked, "What is it, Master?"

"Joseph, do you see what I see?"

Joseph followed his master's gaze and looked at Yugi and his friends. "I do."

"Who are they?"

"They're children."

"Yes, I can see that, but why do they look exactly like us?"

Joseph knew that if he tried telling Seto, his master would think he was crazy. But he had to be reasonable. "They're our descendants, Master Seto. They came from the future and have come to help us."

"I guess that explains the strange clothes on their backs," said Seto. He grinned at Yugi and said, "That boy's cute. He looks like the king from when he was prince except his eyes are softer and carry a hint of innocence." He fixes his gaze at Emily and says, "And she's beautiful. She looks just like the queen except her hair is light gold like… like…" he became silent when he looked at Yami, then back at Emily.

"I know what you're thinking," Joseph tells him. "She looks like the princess as a young lady."

Seto relaxed himself and grinned once more. "I'll be the judge of that." And he began approaching the group. "Hello there."

Emily looked up at him and returned the greeting. "Oh, hello." Then she became startled. "Wait, you can see us?" She was confused because she remembered that he and Joseph didn't see them in the capital when they came to Kisara and Freya's rescue.

Seto said nothing. He turned his attention to Kaiba and said, "Let me take a look at you, young man." Reluctantly, Kaiba shrugged and approached his ancestor. Seto noticed that he and his descendant weren't all that identical. Kaiba's eyes were a little closer together and his hair was a bit lighter, they didn't share the same smile, but their noses were the same. "Well, I suppose it's reasonable that our physical appearances are different given the fact that I'm so much older than you."

"Older, yes, but are you wiser," challenged Kaiba.

His ancestor pointed to the red amulet around his neck. "My amulet will determine that." He turns to Emily and begins evaluating her. "Look up at me, young lady, so I can get a better look at you," he says, placing his hand under her chin and tilting it up. Emily felt like this was like the time when Kaiba began evaluating her on her first day of school. Sure enough, Seto could see that this girl looked exactly like the queen. Her blue eyes were the same shade and carried the same hint of kindness. Her hair was long and straight with no waves or curls and was light gold like Yami's bangs. Seto moves her hair from her face to look at her ears. He sees that they're like Mystery's. Seto also saw that Emily had the same nose Yami did. It was true, this girl was the princess.

When Seto kept still with an amazed expression, Emily asked him, "Is everything all right?"

"It _is_ you," he whispered. He raises his voice and cries, "Princess," and wraps his arms over her.

Yugi didn't like this. "Hey, let her go!"

"Yeah, give the girl some air," said Joey.

Joseph chuckled. "And you tell me to control my enthusiasm."

Seto loosens his grip and apologizes. "Please forgive me. I just couldn't believe it was you."

Emily dusts herself and forgives him. "Just please don't do that again. I really don't appreciate that kind of demeanor." She really didn't like it when guys just jumped on her and hugged her without her consent. This was one of the reasons she had little patience for boys.

"It's all right, Emily," Mystery was saying. "Seto's really kind and gentle and doesn't show it a lot." Emily knew and she could see that Seto didn't mean any harm.

"It's strange," Seto was saying, "this feeling. I felt like my spirit was being consumed by darkness. But now that I'm surrounded by my family and new friends, I feel like I have nothing to fear and that everything is going to be all right."

Joseph agreed and said he felt the same way. But he didn't want to leave Kisara and Freya alone; not in the state they were in. But the girls wouldn't be able to go home. Until everything would be back to normal and this whole fight would be over, the cousins would have to remain here at the temple. So Seto and Joseph told the girls to rest and that they would return.

Yugi and his friends approached the girls too so they could say 'goodbye'. Looking down, they saw that Kisara was wearing an amulet around her neck and it was glowing. The amulet around Freya's neck was doing the same thing. That made them wonder if the amulets were sustaining what little life force they had before the girls would be gone forever. Kaiba, Joey, Yugi, and Emily all get down and say their prayers for Kisara and Freya and rejoin their friends as they return to the palace.

Yami, Max, and Bakura continued to watch the game being played out from the Shadow Realm. "Well, you made quite the comeback," Bakura complemented Yami. "But unfortunately, a few more of your pawns were lost to the darkness."

"Kisara and Freya are my friends, not pawns," Yami corrected. "And they'll return from the shadows. I know because I believe in them the same way I believe in the rest of my friends."

"Of course, how very insensitive of us," said Max. "We forgot how much you care."

"It's remarkable," Bakura was saying. "You have no memory of these people, yet you feel compelled to call these shadows of your past your friends. Our advice to you is let them go."

"How could either of you understand?" Yami asked his opponents. "Neither of you have ever had a friend in your lives."

"Max and I have had each other," Bakura argued, "and that's all we've ever needed."

"Well, I may not remember my friends and family, but there is a bond that's lasted between us for five thousand years; a bond that can never be broken."

To Max, this was pathetic. What Yami also said before wasn't true. She did have friends; true friends and more loyal and caring than Bakura. So really, she did understand better than her partner did and more than her opponent assumed. In the game, Yami would be taking time catching up with his friends and family and Bakura and Max had a lot of catching up to do as well. While that was going on, Max decided to explain a few things to Yami. "You think this was terrible for you? Why don't imagine how I felt when I was watching?"

"What do you mean?" Yami inquired.

"What was a tragic happening for you and your family also turned out to be the worst day of my life," Max retorted. "That's why, right now, I have some things you need to hear. You won't be around for much longer anyway, so I don't see any harm in sharing any dark secrets." So Max decided to tell Yami some things that his friends would learn later in the game; more secrets about their pasts and what made them who they were. At the same time, she and her partner decided it was time to begin the countdown. So they turned the hourglass over and the sands began to fall.


	15. Bonds between Relatives

Bonds between Relatives

When they returned to the palace, Joseph prepared a nice, hot bath for Yugi and his friends. The boys had to bathe by themselves while Emily would be bathing in a different area. They all agreed that they needed this after being covered in dirt and feeling grimy for days.

When Yugi finished rinsing off, he got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. Seto approached him and placed another towel over his shoulders. They both grinned and chuckled. Yugi believed the queen's words about Seto being a kind man. "Hey, can I ask you a question?" Seeing him nod, he asks, "What made you want to become a follower of Millennia?"

Seto kept quiet for a minute, then grinned again and explained his story. "I was a kid," he began. "My village was attacked and Queen Mystery saved my life." It happened ten years ago when he was starting to be a teenager. It was a cold night and he was riding his horse out in the desert. He saw Mystery in the sky and followed her until he heard a cry for help. Looking in the distance, he saw a camp run by bandits and slave traders. That was how he met Kisara. She was kidnapped to be sold to slavery, but Seto and Mystery came to her rescue and helped her to escape from the camp.

After helping Kisara make her way for freedom, Seto turned around and saw that his village was set on fire. He and Mystery went to the village to save the townspeople and stop the bandits attacking it. When Yugi heard Seto mentioned seeing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, he wondered if that was how his passion for Dragons began. Seto continued and said that his village was saved, but it would take weeks, maybe months for the damages to be restored.

"I had no other family left and nowhere else to go," continued Seto. "Queen Mystery – well, she was still just Mystery then – continued to help me find a new home. She brought me to the palace because that was the new home for children who lost their families to tragedy. But I knew that if I was going to stay in the palace, I would have to pledge my allegiance to the royal family and devote my life to the Egyptian Gods. But I was willing to take on all challenges."

"You got where you are today through hard work and determination," Yugi assumed.

"That's partly true," said Seto. "What really gave me something to strive for was all the friends I made in the palace. If they hadn't been so kind to me, if they hadn't been there to guide and support me, I wouldn't be who I am now. I found my family through my friends. When I was lost and alone, they reached out to me and lifted me from the darkness and then I knew," he paused and opened his eyes to release his tears. "I knew I was home. And I owe it to the pharaoh and queen to protect them and take care of them like they did for me; for all of us."

Kaiba was listening to the story and learned that he and his ancestor weren't so different from each other. They both lost their families at young age and wanted better lives for themselves. But there were a lot of differences to take into account such as the lives they brought on themselves and the people around them.

Yugi sighed. "What a great story. You really care a lot about them, don't you?"

"They're my family, Yugi, and I won't let anything change that."

Joseph came by to join in the conversation. "That's right, Children of Millennia forever."

Hearing that made something come into mind for Yugi. "Why do you call yourselves that anyway?"

"Because we are family, Yugi," Joseph explained. "We're children of the same goddess and we take care of each other. When we were kids, a lot of us were misfits and alone. But we found a new family through the friends we made. And like Master Seto said, we owe it all to the pharaoh and queen for keeping us together."

"He speaks the truth," said Seto. "The pharaoh and queen were true friends and true leaders to us even when we were young. They brought us all together and they keep us together. That's why we owe it to the pharaoh and queen to protect them and help them fight the darkness that's attacking us."

"Because you'll never know how important someone is to you until you lose them," Yugi muttered.

Seto was surprised to hear him say that. "You understand?"

Yugi did understand. When Emily used the Millennium Star and sacrificed herself to save the world, Yugi thought he lost her forever. That was when he realized how much he loved her. But when she came back, Yugi and the others promised never to take all that she could give for granted and to treasure each moment with her.

Listening to Yugi's story, Seto agreed to stand by that promise also for his friends and family. Then he looked down and sighed. "I just pray that when this nightmare is over, we'll be able to return to the life we once knew."

"And that everyone who was lost in the Shadow Game will return," Yugi added.

Seto nods in agreement. He decides to change the subject to avoid the sadness. "You know, Yugi, when I look at you, you remind me of the pharaoh when he was young."

Yugi remembered that Seto and the pharaoh met when they were kids and have been friends ever since. "You grew up together, didn't you? I bet you guys were close."

"As close can be," said Seto. "He always had ways of making me smile." Seto and Yami really did look after each other when they were growing up. They played, studied, worked, and battled together to learn and grow from one another. "The more time we spent together, the closer we became. We had several other friends in the palace, but the pharaoh and I were like brothers to each other. After today, I finally understand why; it's because we are related."

Kaiba and Joey finished drying off and invited themselves to join in the conversation. "If you guys were close, it explains calling each other 'brother', but is it by something else entirely?" asked Joey.

"Yes," Seto answered. "Just this afternoon, before we came to the temple, the pharaoh and I found out that our fathers were brothers."

"Are you saying that we're cousins?" Kaiba asked, looking at Yugi. Joey tried to hold it in, but he ended up bursting out laughing at Kaiba's question. Even Yugi and Joseph and the two brunettes joined in, causing tearjerkers.

Seto pulls himself together and dries the tear in his eye. "Actually, that could be. Seeing that you and Yugi are our direct descendants, Kaiba, that would make you distant relatives too."

"Wait a minute," Joey was saying, catching his breath. "If you and the pharaoh are cousins, then does that make Emily-?"

"It makes Emily Seto's second cousin," Yugi finished for him.

"That's correct, Yugi," said Seto. "All the more reason for me to watch over and protect her."

While the boys continued to engage in friendly conversation, Emily finished taking her bath and dried off and got dressed. Mana decided to spend some time with her to get to know her. "I imagined doing lots of things with you when you would get bigger," Mana tells the blonde as she combs her hair. "Now that you're here, I can live those moments."

Emily liked Mana. She was fun and cute and she resembled her favorite Duel Monster. "You know, you're fun to be around."

"Thank you, Emily," said Mana. "I know we're still just getting to know each other, but already, we're good friends."

"And do you know what? When I get older and have children, I'd like to have a daughter named after you," Emily said honestly. Mana felt honored to hear her say that. "And you know what else? This adventure will be a great story to tell me someday." Mana agreed. The princess in this era would soon grow up and Mana would tell her all kinds of great stories like how everyone's descendants came to the past to help them defeat Max and Bakura. Mana also began thinking about how great it would be to become the princess' teacher once she would become a great magician. But the thought started to become sad.

Emily noticed her sad expression and asked, "Mana, are you all right?"

The magician faces her and nods. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just have a lot on my mind." Thinking about becoming a great magician made her start thinking about Mahad and how they always practiced magic together. Now that he was no longer around to guide and train her, she had to continue her journey on her own. "I wanted to become a great magician like my master," said Mana. "He was always there to support me and he never gave up on me. He was my friend and my hero."

"You must have really cared a lot about him," Emily wondered. Looking inside Mana's heart, Emily could see that the young magician really did have tender feelings for her master and was devastated for losing him. The pain still lingers, but Mana tries not to let it torment her. The blonde takes her hand and says, "You're very strong, Mana, to manage to fight the pain in your heart and continue to believe that good things will come. And your master sounds like he was a kind man."

"Oh, Master Mahad was very kind," said the magician. "He was also strong, reliable, caring," she pauses and adds, "and very handsome too. I know it's ridiculous to fantasize about us being together-,"

"Is it because of who you are and your status?"

Mana nods and says, "A master magician can't have a courtship with his apprentice. But I hoped that when I would become a full-fledged magician and finish my training, we would be together."

"Mana, I may not know anything about Mahad, but I'm sure that for him to always be looking out for you, he must've cared a lot about you; maybe even loved you."

The magician smiled and sighed. She knew just as much. "You're right."

"And if it makes you feel any better, I can relate to your pain," said Emily. "I know what it's like to lose someone you care about. You see, a long time ago, I lost someone very dear to me and," she paused and continued, "I miss her every day. But she's always in my memories and in my heart. That's how I know she's not gone. Thinking about the happiest times we shared together makes me think about how much I loved her and that I know she'll always be with me to inspire and support me."

As Mana listened, she felt her heart softening. The happiest memories she shared with Mahad would remain in her heart and her teacher would continue to inspire and support her. She thanked Emily for sharing her story and for listening. Then she got an idea. "Do you want to go outside and practice magic with me? You know, to help take our minds off of all this." Emily liked the idea and decided it would be fun, so the girls decided to head to the palace courtyard.

When they make it outside, Emily sees all the different Pokémon and admires them. "I've never seen so many Pokémon in one place before," she said in awe.

Mana heard her and asked, "What's a Pokémon? These are all Magical Creatures."

"Oh, I guess Yugi and the others didn't tell you, but where we come from, what you guys call Magical Creatures, we call Pokémon. If you ask me, it's better than referring them as just monsters and I think it's fancy too."

Thinking about it, Mana agreed that the name did sound fancy. The magician decided to introduce Emily to her partner. It was a fully evolved psychic Pokémon named Gardevoir. Mana also mentioned that Mahad had a Gallade for a partner and he still lived in the palace alongside the other royal beasts. Then there were their friends Latios and Latias. The twins didn't belong to Mana or Mahad, but they were still good friends. When Mana asks Gardevoir if she wants to watch her practice magic, the Pokémon nods and sits down. Emily and Mana take their positions and start showing off their spells.

Yami was watching from the balcony and was admiring their displays. But after listening to what Mana and Emily were talking about a few minutes ago, he started to have a lot on his mind. He walked back inside and saw his infant daughter sleeping peacefully. Watching her slumber, Yami's heart became heavy. This was his most precious possession that he created. It was one thing back in the modern world when he and Emily were getting to know each other, but he had never felt so strongly until now.

Mystery came in and saw him looking down. She carefully approached her husband and they both gasped of surprise when they finally noticed each other. The queen relaxes and takes her husband's hand. "I know you're worried and have a lot on your mind. I'm worried too. But I promise things will be all right."

Yami refocuses his attention on the princess. "I'm just afraid of losing her again."

At first, Mystery thought it was because of what happened last night, but when she heard Yami explain his story of what happened in the modern era when Emily used the Millennium Star and how she died, she realized that it was about so much more. There were a lot of things the pharaoh knew that his friends in this world didn't and it was bigger than all of them.

"Emily and I were all that we had for each other," Yami was saying. "But when I returned home here, we had more members of our family. I don't want to lose anyone else dear to me. I don't know what will happen if Bakura and Max will succeed, but I don't want it to happen."

"Nor do I," said Mystery. "That's why in order to save our children and their future, we have to save our kingdom and the world. The Battle of the Gods has begun again and we will all have to work together to stop it." And after meeting her daughter as a young lady, the queen was willing to do it so Emily could have a future.

The queen decided to change the subject. "Pharaoh, you said when you were in the future, you were the only family Emily had. Could you elaborate?"

He nods and explains what he means. "When Emily was young, her mother died. Her father wasn't willing to take proper care of her, so he gave her up. Although Emily got her freedom, she was still without a family. Then she and I met each other and found out that we were family."

It made sense to Mystery. Emily did say that she had been without a mother for so many years, so the emotions she was expressing the other night were natural. And after listening to what Mana and Emily were talking about, Mystery knew right away that the blonde was talking about her mother. The queen sniffles and dries her eyes. "But she's home now. You both are. And whatever happens, we will always have each other."

Yami didn't want to doubt Mystery's words, but he still felt like everyone's fates were depending on him. But he was promised he wouldn't have to face the darkness alone. Looking at his daughter, Yami asks Mystery, "Can I pick her up?" The queen smiles and nods. Carefully, the pharaoh lifts the baby from the cradle and places her in his arms. He felt like he was holding his child for the first time ever. Though he figured he may have done it before his memory was lost, it still felt like a first experience. It even brought about the same warm feeling he felt whenever he embraced his teenage daughter. He sighs and gently hugs her, vowing to protect her.

Mystery figured that perhaps while Yami was spending quality time with their infant daughter, she could spend quality time with her teenage daughter. So she left the chamber and went outside to the palace courtyard. When she came outside, she saw all of her friends idly conversing as they were all getting to know each other. To think, they all came from two different worlds, but were so alike in so many ways. Their groups were brought together by the hands of fate and they were all chosen by the Great Goddess to save the world.

Joseph noticed that Yugi had his gazed fixed. "Something on your mind, son?"

Yugi came back to his senses. "Oh, sorry, Joseph. I was just admiring your necklace."

He follows his gaze and looks down. "It's an amulet, actually," he corrected him. "I've had it since I was young. And if you'll look here, you'll see it has the symbol for friendship."

"Just like my element," Joey muttered to himself. He also remembered seeing the mark in his dreams from when he first met Freya and as discovering himself to be the hero of friendship.

"Kisara and Freya were wearing amulets too," Kaiba said.

His ancestor nods. "Kisara had the amulet of light and Freya had the amulet of hope."

"Master Mahad had an amulet too," said Mana. "Its theme was to promote reliability."

"The former pharaoh gave us these amulets and said they contained the power of the elements represented by the warriors wielding them," said Seto. "Another reason why we called ourselves the Children of Millennia. She chose us and brought us all together to learn and grow and become family."

Kaiba cleared his throat. "Is the Millennium Star really all that important to you guys," he asked, though he knew it was a stupid question.

"It is," Queen Mystery answered. "Not only is the Millennium Star the heart and soul of the guardian it bonds with, but it also contains the memories of the guardians that came before. The Great Goddess remembers when Emily was born and when I was born. She remembers when we first started walking, learning how to talk, the times we were sick, the places we visited, the friends we made, the lessons we learned on our journeys, every sad and precious memory. And though the Millennium Star lives inside one heart, the Great Goddess still watches over and protects all of her children and is with all of them through the good and bad times."

Joseph nods in agreement. "The Great Goddess has been there for all of us. Before I met any of my friends, I was alone and often got into fights with other boys my age. I had a lot to give as a friend, but I also wanted a friend. And when I met Queen Mystery, I knew that my prayers had been answered."

Seto spoke up and said, "I was growing up alone too. And when I thought I lost my family, Queen Mystery found me and brought me home to the relatives I didn't know I had. And I found my brother through my best friend. The Great Goddess didn't just choose me, she watched over me like a parent to a child."

Listening to the stories around them, Yugi and his friends begin reflecting on their own lives. _The Great Goddess has been there for me too_ , Yugi wondered. _Starting from the day I first solved the Millennium Puzzle. She chose me to wield it. And when I made my wish on the Puzzle, Millennia heard me and granted it._ Not only did she grant Yugi's wish, but she also brought her chosen warriors together again to help them learn and grow and awaken just as their ancestors did.

 _The Great Goddess has been there for me too,_ Emily wondered, _and it all started from that one shard._ Her memory of when she awakened as the Egyptian princess played before her eyes. _That Millennium Star shard lived inside of me ever since I was born. It was a part of me before I even knew it existed. Now Millennia and I are bonded forever and all of my memories are with her. She was always with me._ They say that events that happen in the lives of mortals are plans that Gods have for their children. The biggest question is what it the plan behind a tragedy? Why did the tragedy of her mother's death befall Emily? Then again, what would life have been like for Emily if her mother never died? Would she still be who she was? Would she still have the friends she has? Whatever the question, whatever the purpose, it was not by the hands of the Great Goddess.

Before all of these adventures started, Kaiba didn't believe in fate or any higher calling. But after meeting his friends and slowly opening his heart, those thoughts and feelings changed. _I thought I was alone in the world. I resented everything; including all the good that was being offered to me. I didn't want offerings or special treatment. I wanted to prove my strength and challenge myself to grow stronger and smarter. And although I was, I was still in pain and wasn't getting better. I brought it all upon myself because I wanted a better life. I always treated every challenge like a game and there was always a solution. That was why I thought power and ambition were the only things in life that could take a person far. But it only made the darkness inside of me grow stronger. Then I met Yugi and his friends and they reached out to me and tried to help me. No matter how many times I mistreated them, they all refused to give up on me and so did the Great Goddess. And because of that, I was finally able to understand and value all the good they were trying to share with me and even awaken as a hero of legend. After all this time, it finally hits me. I was never alone. Yugi, Joey, and Emily knew what I needed and was missing and wouldn't give up until I was home. Now the task is done. I'm home with the family I needed and deserved all thanks to my friends and the Great Goddess. We were once apart, but that's behind us now that we're able to see past our differences and share all that we can give._

Joey also thought he was alone in the world after his mother took his sister and left him with his father. But through all the abuse and loneliness he suffered and endured, he chose to better himself as a person and not become the people who hurt him. _I said looking out for each other makes us stronger. There's no purpose in fighting without having something worth fighting for. I never knew it at the time, but Millennia was watching over me and giving me strength. It was like she was helping me to never lose sight of what's important. I admit I have a lot of flaws. I'm proud, stubborn, enthusiastic, and a bit of a clown. But even so, my friends stay beside me and continue to support me. That's it, Millennia was with me on the day I met Yugi. That was when I began to learn about friendship and looking out for someone else. That was when I started on my journey to become the hero of friendship. The Great Goddess found me and pushed me to be true to myself and true to my element. And through every struggle I put myself in, I never had to do it alone. I had my friends and the Great Goddess to support me. That was why I never gave up. To do so would not only mean letting myself down, but that everyone supported me for nothing. That's why I continue being there for my friends when they need me._

Millennia was there for all of her children past and present. She watched over them and guided them on their journeys to becoming their own person and living in happiness.

"That's why we're all together," said Mystery. "To share what we can give and to give in return all that we receive. That is why we fight to protect the land we love and the people we love. To surrender would mean to take our gifts for granted and treat them like they are meaningless. We also do it because we want our children to live in happiness. So it's something we should want for everybody; including the children of the Dark Lord Cobalt."

"Because everybody includes them too," said Emily.

"Although most of us wish it wouldn't," said Joseph, "not after all that Max and Bakura had put us through."

But the queen still believed that Millennials and Cobaltites could live together in harmony despite the feud between their clans and deities. What kept that belief strong was the bond she shared with a friend who was also a Cobaltite. She decided she needed to share this with Emily alone, so the queen asked her daughter to follow her back inside for a private conversation.

"Mom, do you really think you and Bakura can end this without any more violence?"

"I do," Mystery answered. "I mean, I want us to. I never really wanted to fight in the beginning. I never had anything personal against Bakura or Max. I'm also sure they had their reasons for their attacks aside from fighting on Cobalt's behalf. But beyond that, I have a friend who is also a Cobaltite."

"You do?" Emily asked. Not that she had anything to be surprised about. Her friend Max chose the path of darkness and was in possession of a Cobalt Star shard, but that didn't make her a bad person. Emily always thought of Max as her friend even after all they had been through in the past. Mystery felt the same way. Her friend chose the path of darkness, but she didn't let that come between her friendship with the queen.

"Her name is Luna," Mystery was saying. "When we first met, we didn't get along at first. But we would always seem to meet up with each other. That helped us to get to know each other and open up to each other. As a token of friendship, Luna gave me this crystal ring," she says, showing the golden ring on her finger. "She has a crystal ring too and has been wearing it since we made our pact as friends. We promised we would always watch out for each other and not let the difference in our tribes change our friendship."

"Luna sounds like a humble friend," Emily said, thinking about how Max was the same way towards her and her friends.

The queen agreed. "She has her methods and can seem firm, but Luna is a caring friend and would never do anything to betray any of us." She looks away and says, "When I think about my friendship with Luna, I think that maybe Millennials and Cobaltites can live together in harmony and that the fight between Millennia and Cobalt will finally end. Because I know now that this world cannot be complete without light or darkness."

"That's true," Emily said in agreement. "Neither light nor darkness can exist without each other. That law applies to all natural opposites and exact equals."

"And that was when I realized that being gifted with Millennia's power is both a blessing and a curse," continued Mystery. "You can't just think about what good can come from being endowed with all the powers of the Great Goddess. You also have to take the bad into account. Everything comes with a price, Emily, and you must be prepared to hold your end of any bargain you get yourself into." There was a lot to think about. Having supernatural powers does sound like a cool thing, but it also has its cons. That's why they say with great power comes great responsibility. And when being given something, you have to be prepared to give back. A lot of good things did happen to the queen when she bonded with the Millennium Star, but a lot of bad things happened too. But these bad things were part of the balance of life and they were all essential for Mystery to face her destiny.

Emily clears her throat. "Mom, if you don't mind my asking, if you don't want to fight, why do you do it on Millennia's behalf?"

The truth was, the queen didn't want to fight on Millennia's behalf. She just wanted to fulfill her wishes and bring peace. But she didn't want to do it if it meant fighting and having to kill the heir of Cobalt. But when she made her contract and bonded with the Millennium Star, she agreed to take on the rights and responsibilities as heiress of Millennia. "It may sound like Millennia and I share the same wishes, but when I think about it, we want them to be fulfilled by different methods. I'll fight, but I won't do it to kill. I made the choice to bond with the Millennium Star, so I should also have the right to decide how I should fight. But I must still use Millennia's power responsibly. Because although the Star's powers are pure, they can be corrupted and used for evil."

Emily agreed. She had been trying to do the same thing when she first started learning how to use the powers of the Millennium Star.

Mystery turns her attention back on her daughter. "What about you, Emily? What are you fighting for?"

Emily couldn't give an answer because she wasn't too sure herself. She wasn't learning much about the Battle of the Gods. She was mostly just learning about the Great Goddess. But after thinking about all that's happened in the past, she had an idea. "I fight for the safety of my friends. I don't do it to hurt anybody, but to protect them from the forces of evil that threaten them."

The queen found that last statement interesting. "Do you have someone to protect, Emily?"

"Protect?"

"I am asking because that is where the true power of the Millennium Star lies. Its power grows strong when its guardian is fighting for someone else and not just herself. Besides, the powers of the Star are meant to be used to heal and defend, not to harm."

Emily thought for a moment. To have someone to protect, you must first have someone to care about. That's why people put themselves in harm's way no matter what the danger. And Emily had done that before. She protected Joey and Max from the Winged Dragon of Ra and she protected the rest of her friends in the world of the Capsule Monsters. And she also saved her friends from the wrath of the Great Leviathan. The answer was obvious. "I don't just have someone to protect. I have many people to protect. I have my friends and the rest of the people of this world. If I thought it was my planet alone, I wouldn't bother saving anyone else. But I do because it's their planet too. And my friends are everyone else's friends too."

Mystery smiled at Emily's answer. "That proves to me that you are selfless and truly have a heart. And that is one of the many marks of the warrior of love." Besides, after hearing Yami's stories of how Emily had been using the Millennium Star, Mystery knew that her daughter had been using it responsibly and that she had also been a true daughter of Millennia. At the same time, Mystery felt that Emily had surpassed her in so many ways. But only time would tell if that was for certain.

After Emily finished talking with Mystery, she decided to regroup with her friends. She wondered if they were all still outside in the palace courtyard and she decided to head there. On the way, she met up with Seto. "Oh, excuse me," she apologized.

"Not at all," Seto told her. "Is everything all right, Princess?"

"You haven't seen my friends, have you, Seto?"

It was senseless to ask that considering he was one of the few people she last saw with her friends. Nonetheless, he answered and said, "Joseph and I escorted them back to their guest room. I'll take you back too."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." And they begin walking together. Emily had to admit that Seto really was a kind person. She had seen it from all of the visions she had of the past, but had never seen this demeanor expressed to her until now. And believing that such kindness lived in this man made her believe that her friend was also a good person. And since Kaiba learned to open his heart, Emily and the others started to see it more.

There was no denying that this young girl was the princess and Seto would do everything to make sure she would grow into a fine young lady. Seto couldn't take his eyes off of her. Emily really was like the queen not just in looks, but also in personal qualities. They were both kind and well-mannered. "So what did you and the queen have to talk about?"

"We were just getting to know each other," Emily told him. "I'm sure you and my friends were doing the same thing."

"We were," said Seto. "Joseph told me how Yugi, Joey and Kaiba rescued the pharaoh and queen after Bakura and Max's attack. I gave your friends my gratitude and told them that your mother and father mean everything to me."

"Hey, that's what friends are for; looking out for each other." said Emily. "I'm sure you would've done the same thing for my friends because they mean as much to the pharaoh and to me."

"Exactly," said Seto. "And not to mention the both of you would be heartbroken and never forgive me if I let anything happen to any of our friends. I stay true to my promises, Princess. When I make a vow to protect someone I care about, I keep to it. But after today…"

Emily knew he was about to bring up Kisara and Freya. "Don't be sad. When this is all over, Freya and Kisara will be set free from the Shadow Realm and you'll all be together again."

That was what Seto and Joseph were both hoping. And that hope was going to give them the strength to keep fighting and end this battle once and for all. "You're right. We just have to believe that once we defeat Bakura and Max and end this Shadow Game, all the damage that's been done will be reversed and everyone who was condemned to the Shadow Realm will return and be back to normal. Right now, we just can't let anything happen to the rest of our loved ones." He keeps quiet and thinks to himself, _Because I can't bear the thought of losing the rest of my family; not the pharaoh, not Queen Mystery, not even you, Princess Emily. You were just brought into this world and it wouldn't be fair if you were taken from it so soon._ Seto places his arm over Emily and brings her close to his side to hug her.

She's a little startled at first, but accepts the gesture. She places her hand over his and looks up and smiles at Seto. "Aw, you're a real softie, you know that?"

When Seto finally faces her and realizes what he's doing, he lets out a startled gasp and releases her. A red hue also stretches across his face. _Idiot,_ he scolds himself. _How could you do something so senseless? She's the princess!_ He speaks up and apologizes. "I'm sorry, that was - I shouldn't have - not without-" he sighs and slaps himself. "I'm such an idiot."

Emily chuckles and smiles once more. "No, it's all right. I didn't mind. Besides, you should be able to show gestures like these. We're family, aren't we?"

Seto knew, but he still felt embarrassed. "Yes, we are," he sheepishly replied.

"Then it's all right." She looks and sees that the guest room is just ahead. "Anyway, thanks for walking me back. I guess I'll talk to you later."

Seto agrees and turns around. He still felt like an idiot; especially when he had nothing to be embarrassed of. She was right; they were family and he should be allowed to express it to her; especially if he wants to help take care of her.

Emily entered the room and found her friends resting on the bed. Joey was the first to notice her and welcome her back. "So what'd your ma have to say?"

"We were just talking about some personal things," Emily replied. She sits down and says, "Hey, Yugi, I've been thinking, I want to go to the Valley of the Kings."

When Yugi heard her say that, he wondered if she meant wanting to visit Yami's tomb. He remembered what his grandfather said when he told his story of his adventure in Egypt; Yami's tomb was built when he was still ruling Egypt.

"What's the point of going?" Kaiba asked. "We've taken enough detours and faced enough setbacks. It's time to get back to business about why we're here."

"We haven't forgotten, Kaiba," Yugi was saying. "That's why I think Emily's right. We should go to the Valley of the Kings."

"But why?" Joey asked.

"That's where the pharaoh's tomb is and that also may be where we can find what we're looking for."

"What's that?" Joey asked.

"The pharaoh's name," Yugi and Emily answered in unison. It was the best chance they had and maybe the last. The pharaoh's name was more than likely written somewhere in the tomb despite it being called the tomb of the nameless pharaoh. The problem was there were several tombs in the Valley of the Kings and there would be no way of knowing which one belonged to Yami. That was when they decided to go and ask Queen Mystery to take them to the Valley.

Queen Mystery was sitting down and softly humming Millennia's lullaby. That was when the heroes told her their request. "You want to see my husband's tomb? Why?"

They couldn't risk telling the truth. They knew that if they did, she would think they were crazy. Joey spoke up and said, "Well, we're going to be staying here for a while so we figured we might take a look at some interesting places. Plus, when we return to our world, we can pay a visit and pay our respect."

Surprisingly, Mystery accepted his response. "Well then, I'll gladly take you there. I need to go out anyway. Bakura sent me a message."

Emily's eyes widened. "Is he challenging you to a duel?"

"No, he just wants to talk. He's waiting for me at Kul Elna."

The others weren't too sure. For all they could assume, he was leading her into a trap. The queen shared the same concern, but said she would take her chances. Plus, she asked them all to trust her. After what they just talked about, Emily immediately agreed to trust her mother. At the same time, she prayed she knew what she was doing. So it was settled that the queen would drop the heroes off at the Valley of the Kings on her way to Kul Elna.

Mystery brought the heroes to the entrance to the tomb. "All right, you are free to look around, but be careful. And when you're done, return to the palace."

"Why don't we just meet you in Kul Elna?" Joey suggested.

"It's too dangerous and besides, you would never find your way," she answered.

"Let's do as she says," Yugi tells him. "I'm sure Queen Mystery will be fine."

"But don't forget, he's the heir of Cobalt and can't be trusted," said Joey.

"The queen is asking us to trust her," Emily reminded. "I believe in you, Mom, but be careful."

Mystery nods and hugs her daughter. She wishes the rest of her friends good luck and flies to the outskirts.

When the heroes enter the tomb, Joey places his hand against the wall. "Check it out, guys. We can't move through walls anymore."

"I'm not surprised," said Yugi. "Gramps said this place was well protected."

"He was here?" Joey asked.

Emily nods. "He told us the story of how he explored the tomb and found the Millennium Puzzle. If Yugi and I can remember everything, we can lead the way and guide you through." So Kaiba and Joey agreed to follow Emily and Yugi through the tomb.

The first stop was the room with the serpent statues. Joey was about to race across the room, but Emily pulled him back. Just in time too. The first trap activated and needles came out of the statues' mouths. Remembering all that they learned from Solomon's story, Yugi and Emily help Joey and Kaiba to avoid the traps.

When the group came before the statue of the Egyptian God Horus, Yugi and Emily found the doorway that led them to the second chamber. The maze inside didn't look like much, but Yugi and Emily told their friends that the statues in the maze were like machines designed to ward off intruders and the only way to get past the statues was to walk like an Egyptian and keep their left feet forward. Joey suggested flying over the statues to avoid them, but his friends didn't want to take their chances and trigger another trap.

Getting through the maze was nothing compared to what the next chamber held. This was the room with the path that had images of monsters. Yugi and Emily remember that the monsters will only attack if they sense any evil. Keeping calm and collected, they allow the happiest feelings to fill them up and they slowly and steadily cross the path. Kaiba and Joey do the same thing and follow them.

They all relax as they make it to the arc. "This must be the spot where Grandpa found the Millennium Puzzle."

"There's nothing here," said Kaiba.

"Well, maybe there was another chamber somewhere in here; one that not even he could find," Emily wondered.

"Yeah, well, good luck finding it," Joey said, resting his hand on a pillar. This activated a switch, causing the wall in front of them to open up and reveal a passage.


	16. The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End

Yami, Max, and Bakura weren't able to see what was going on in the tomb, but they were still able to watch the game being played out. "Why did you summon Mystery," the pharaoh asked his foes.

"Because I wanted to talk to her," Bakura said truthfully. "Right now, she's being told the same stories we are currently telling you." While everyone in the game was catching up, Bakura and Max told Yami the stories of their pasts and how they met. Max called this day the worst day of her life because she discovered a dark and terrible secret about her past.

She explained by saying it all started when her parents left her at the palace at birth, but came back a few years later to take her back. But Max was never able to go home with her parents. They were out in the desert and were on their way to the village in the outskirts when they met a small boy with dark skin and white hair. It was the heir of Cobalt. Max was happy to see him, but he was not happy in the same way. He didn't want her to go with these people and leave him, so he killed the couple out of anger.

"While it may be true that my partner is my parents' killer, I refuse to let that stop me from carrying out the Dark Lord's wishes."

Yami was outraged. He was now beginning to realize she had been suffering from his wrath and evil ways just as he and his loved ones had been. "How can you continue to work with Bakura after all he had put you through in the past?"

"I know who he is and I know what's he's done to me," Max was saying, "but this is the path I chose and the Battle of the Gods must continue. You know what that means, don't you?"

The pharaoh's eyes widened. "You and Mystery are going to fight."

"It's nothing personal," said Max. "I'm just playing my role in this game by replaying the role in the past."

Bakura grins and says, "And while Max is fighting Mystery, I'll get the chance to do what I should have done five thousand years ago: destroy the Millennium Star and kill your daughter. And it all starts now." And the last grain of sand falls from the hourglass.

The final stage was set in the game. Zorc was crossing over into the human world and Max and Mystery were engaging in the ultimate battle. The power of the Stars was no longer needed thanks to the hourglass, but as Bakura said, he wasn't going to take his chances. He was ready to destroy it.

Yami couldn't stand it anymore. He pounded his fists against the desk and cried, "Enough!"

"But things are getting interesting," said Max. "Pay attention, because you might learn something. At the same time, you may want to look around."

Yami did look around and saw images of the different corners of the world devastated by natural disasters. "This battle has begun to affect the present," Bakura was explaining. "Think about it, if the world was destroyed five thousand years ago, the world as of today would cease to exist."

"You can't do this!"

"We already have," said Bakura. "And as soon as Zorc covers Egypt in darkness, we will finish what we began centuries ago. This game is the crossroad of time where the past and the future meet. And before this game is through, we'll have destroyed both eras. And none of it was possible without you. You allowed us to reunite with the Dark One and now he is taking care of the rest. The darkness that was once confined to its borders has been released!"

"How sad," Max tormented. "You spent years trying to preserve Millennia's wishes and trying to save the world only to lose everything you hold dear."

Yami looked down and continued to watch. The rest of his friends had come to the rescue. The succeeded in saving both the princess and the Millennium Star and were ready to return to the palace, but the pharaoh stayed with his wife. "Hang in there, Mystery," he prayed.

Bakura was watching too and wagered that things would be different this time. With all that he and Max had learned, this time, his partner would show no mercy to the queen. But Max didn't want anything to change. Deep down inside, she didn't like watching the battle being played out between her and the queen.

After fighting their hardest with every magic spell they knew, both magicians were down to their last energy. But the battle was still on. Mystery thought Max was going to finish her off, so she told her opponent she was conceding the match. But the thief smiled and held her hand out to Mystery, calling her the true winner.

Yami and Bakura were both confused, but Max understood better. "I said I learned from my past and this is what I have to prove. I nearly made a terrible mistake in destroying the people who truly cared about me. I didn't want to force myself to do the same thing again." A tear falls from her eye and she faces Yami. "Pharaoh, you said I never had a friend in my life. You're wrong about that. In the ancient past, the one who truly looked out for me and was there for me was Mystery. I lived in a world of darkness and despair and shut everything else out. But then she found me and saved me from myself and from the darkness that was influencing me. She trusted me and refused to give up on me. You could see that in our battle. Even if this is an event from the past, it's plain to see that Mystery's feelings for me have not changed in five thousand years. Our bond of friendship has lasted."

Listening to her words, Yami begins to wonder if he had been wrong about Max all along. But at the same time, this was what he had been waiting for. Mystery believed in her friend and so did Yugi and the others. Perhaps Max from the modern era and the spirit of the Cobalt Star shard aren't different from each other. And they were all able to learn from the wrongs they committed.

Bakura was not pleased. Max did learn, but these were not the changes he wished to see. One battle may have ended, but one was still at large. The three players decided it was time to get in the game for real. Yami was returning to the palace with Mystery to reunite with their friends. Bakura and Max decided to make the game more interesting.


	17. Name of the Game

Name of the Game

Inside the pharaoh's tomb, Yugi and his friends passed through to the hidden room they found. It didn't look like much, but they all remembered that sometimes things aren't always what they appeared to be. Kaiba told everyone to look down at the floor. They do so and see some sort of shape like eyes with inscriptions. "The writing says, 'He who solved the Millennium Puzzle must return the wish he was granted. Only then is he able to pass'."

His friends were surprised. "Since when can you read ancient hieroglyphics?" Joey asked.

"Since Battle City," the brunette answered. "I first discovered it when I was trying to translate the text on the Winged Dragon of Ra. When I saw the writing, it was clear to me and I could read it as if it were in English. Since then, I've been able to read Egyptian hieroglyphics."

"That's incredible," said Emily.

Kaiba nods in agreement. "Yugi, did you make a wish on the Millennium Puzzle when you first solved it? If you did, you'd better be prepared to give it back."

"But, Kaiba, what you're saying doesn't make any sense," Yugi was saying. "The wish that was granted to me can never be given back. It's impossible."

The brunette was confused. "What do you mean? What did you wish for on the day you solved the Millennium Puzzle?"

"For true friends," Yugi answered. "And my wish was granted. You guys were my wish and so was everyone else I met: Max, Bakura, Tea, Tristan, Duke, everyone."

Joey was amazed to hear that. "You mean it? It was us?"

"You never told us that," said Emily. She remembered hearing Yugi mention making a wish on the Millennium Puzzle when he told her the story of how he and Joey met, but she didn't realize the true meaning behind the wish.

Even Kaiba was touched to hear that. "Thank you, Yugi." He was thanking him because though Yugi was given friends, he had been keeping them all together throughout the years and was able to share all that he was given. The brunette pushes Yugi back to one eye and he takes Emily and Joey with him to the other eye. The floor below them comes apart and the image they're standing on is like a balance beam. A door on the other side reveals itself. "Yugi, you've got to pass through the door so you can find the pharaoh's name."

"But to get in there, Yugi's got to give up his wish," said Emily. "So when he jumps and passes through the door, we'll be forced to leave his life forever."

Joey was scared at that, but there was no time to be selfish. "Do what you've gotta do, Yugi."

"I can't," Yugi protested. "If I leave, you'll fall into the Pit of Shadows!"

None of his friends were surprised to hear his decision, but there was no time to argue. Kaiba runs across the board and jumps to the doorway. The platform stops and begins to crumble. Joey and Emily waste no time and run to the other side. Yugi jumps as well, but since he can't reach the ledge, he instead hangs on to Joey. Kaiba reaches down and begins to pull him up. "I guess it's true: you've got to hang on to your friends!" They were all relieved and thought he was about to abandon them. But after seeing how much the brunette had changed, they knew Kaiba would never leave them.

The four of them were together and it was going to stay that way. And soon they would be reunited with all of their friends. But now, they had to help one other friend. So the heroes passed through the doorway and came to a golden chamber. On the arc, they saw a carving shaped like a cartouche with hieroglyphics. "That must be the pharaoh's name," said Yugi.

"But what does it say?" Emily asked.

"Just memorize the symbols," Kaiba told them. "We have to get out of here now. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can find the pharaoh and tell him his name." He could have just told his friends, but they weren't the ones who needed to hear it. That was why he told them to print the name in their minds.

They found a stairwell leading under the chamber. Hopefully it would lead them outside. They were about to cross to the other side until Kaiba got down and started groaning again. He felt the same burning pain he felt before this afternoon. "Kaiba, what's wrong?" Yugi asked him. The brunette tried to answer, but the pain was getting worse and causing him to scream. Emily removed his jacket and felt that his back was burning up. Kaiba remembered that the pain was coming from his wings, so he told his friends to back off so he could unfold them. When Kaiba unfolded his wings, darkness began to emerge and appear on the other side of the room. The darkness took on the shape of Bakura. More dark magic appeared and his partner was standing next to him.

"It's time for the real fun to begin," said the heir of Cobalt.

"Have you been following us the whole time?" Emily asked.

"Indeed," Bakura answered. "A part of me has been living inside of your friend."

Kaiba's screams softened and turned into groans again. "But how and since when?" Then he remembered. "When you broke my wing."

The area around them began to quake. "What's going on?" Joey asked.

"The Dark One is on his rampage," Max answered.

"In other words, all Hell has just broken loose," Kaiba smartly stated.

"We have to stop him!" Yugi cried.

"I'm afraid there's only one way to do that," Bakura was saying, and a duel disk materializes around his left arm. "Prepare yourself for your final duel! If you manage to defeat me, you're free to go and tell the pharaoh your newfound secret. But lose and the only place you'll go is the Shadow Realm."

But how did he expect Yugi to duel when he didn't have a deck or duel disk? It turned out when the young hero asked that, a duel disk materialized around his arm.

Max focuses her attention on Emily and tells her, "As for you, Princess Emily, you and I are going to have ourselves a little match of our own. But we're going to be dueling with our magic instead of having a game like our partners. It's been something I've been looking forward to for a long time."

"And this time, Daddy isn't here to rescue you or bail your boyfriend out," Bakura tormented.

Yugi and Emily weren't sure about going through with their battles. For one, Emily had never faced off in magical combat before and Yugi had never faced the heir of Cobalt without Yami's help. But this time, it was their turn to be the ones going to his rescue and to do that, they have to face their foes. So Emily follows Max outside and Yugi and Bakura begin their duel.

The benefit of being trapped in the pharaoh's tomb was that Yugi and his friends were safe from Zorc's rampage, but that didn't mean they would be safe from Max and Bakura's wrath. And even if the magicians were outside, they would still be protected since they would be fighting upon sacred ground. As worried as Yugi was about Emily, he couldn't let that distract him. He also needed to believe in his deck. It was the only hope he had of winning. Yugi makes the first move by playing a card face down and summoning a monster in defense mode.

"Come now, if that's the best move you can come up with, then I've already won," said the heir of Cobalt. "I know it's been a while, so let me remind you how the game is played." He summons Doomcalibur Knight, a monster with 1900 attack points. The monster Yugi had face down was a pink, squishy creature named Marshmallon. Its special ability drains 1000 life points from the opponent whenever it's attacked and as an added bonus, Marshmallon can't be destroyed in battle. Bakura growled. "Is that a monster or a desert topping?" He ends his turn by placing a card face down. Yugi plays another card face down and summons Silent Swordsman. He was a warrior at level zero and had 1000 attack points.

"First that marshmallow thing and now this?" Joey asked in disbelief. "What kind of freak deck is Yugi playing with?"

"Well, hopefully not one that Bakura picked out," Kaiba prayed.

Even the heir of Cobalt was baffled. _What sort of strategy is this pipsqueak planning? He just played two weak monsters in a row._ Yugi revealed his first hidden card. It was Marshmallon Glasses and as long as Doomcalibur Knight would be wearing them, he would be forced to attack Marshmallon. But Bakura knew how to attack Marshmallon without taking damage. He played Negate Defense to switch Marshmallon into attack mode. This also negated his special ability, causing Yugi to receive damage from the attack. Marshmallon was still indestructible, but Yugi lost 1600 life points. Bakura ends his turn by placing a card face down.

It was the start of Yugi's turn again, which meant that his Silent Swordsman would grow from level zero to level one and gain 500 attack points. But before he could take his turn, Bakura's trap activated. It was Call of the Earthbound and Bakura used it to force Silent Swordsman to engage in Battle with his trap monster Zoma the Spirit. Though the trap monster was weaker than the Swordsman, it had the ability to double the opposing attack strength and attack Yugi directly. And since Yugi had less than 3000 life points, the attack would cause him to lose the duel.

Bakura chuckled. "I hear the Shadow Realm's lovely this time of year. Let's find out if it's true!" And he had his trap monster attack Yugi.

"It looks like my trip's been postponed," said Yugi. He revealed his second hidden card. It was a magic card called Turn Jump. It allowed Yugi to negate his opponent's attack by skipping the battle phase of the turn. It also moved the game forward three turns, causing Silent Swordsman to grow three more levels and gain 1500 more attacks. And with Zoma the Spirit gone, he could attack Doomcalibur Knight and deal 1100 points of damage to Bakura. Marshmallon also got his share and attacked Bakura directly, leaving him with 1600 life points remaining.

Joey laughed at that last move. "You want s'more? Get it? Marshmallow, s'more?" Not hearing a response, he sighs and says, "Ah, never mind."

Kaiba didn't laugh at his joke, but it wasn't because he didn't find it funny, but because he was amazed with Yugi's dueling. _This must be the toughest duel Yugi's ever fought. Usually, the pharaoh steps in and takes over. But now, Yugi's doing it all on his own with his own deck._ It was true. In the past, Yami and Yugi shared a deck they constructed together. Now Yugi had a deck that represented his own heart and soul. Kaiba smiled and cheered for his friend for the first time. "Go get 'em, Yugi!"

As usual, Bakura would not allow himself to be put down so easily. "Please, that little twit has no idea what I have in store next. As for the princess, she must be knee deep in darkness by now. But I hope Max will save what's left of her for me so that I can finish her off."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

"I mean I want the chance to do what I should have done since we first met," Bakura answered. "I want to kill her. I may not have been able to do it before when she was a helpless infant, but perhaps I might be able to now that she's grown into a young lady."

Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba all gasp hearing that. They prayed that Emily would stay strong in her own fight and not let Max defeat her. They also didn't want Bakura to have the chance of killing her. That was one more reason not to let him win this duel.


	18. Max's Final Hour

Max's Final Hour

Max and Emily were ready to engage in their own battle. The thief wondered, would this match be like the battle she and the queen engaged in long ago? That was what she wanted to find out; to see how much Emily had learned and how far she had come. So really, unlike Bakura, she wasn't in it to fight to the death, but for a personal challenge that she and the princess needed more than anyone else realized.

Emily had to be careful. Although she had practiced magic with her friend back home, things would be different this time. This Max was a more skilled and experienced magician. Emily wasn't feeling too confident, but she couldn't back out. Her friends needed her and she needed to be strong for them. _I don't want to fight,_ Emily wondered. _But I'll do it to save my friends and my family. I just have to remember all that my mother taught me._

The stage was set and the girls were ready. Emily makes the first move by activating her Lucent Beam spell to strike Max with a laser of light. But Max was prepared and used the magic of Evil Gate to block the light and shield herself. "Remember, I've faced the magic of the Millennium Star before, so I'm familiar with your spells. There's nothing that can stand against me."

"We'll just see about that," said Emily. She gathers the energy around her and focuses her anger into a fiery attack called Blaze Wall, causing a wave of fire to pulsate around her.

Max uses the power of wind and earth to extinguish the flames. "Come on, Princess, is that really the best you can do?"

"Believe me, Max, I'm fighting you with everything I have." Emily wasn't even kidding. Her magic was stronger than it used to be, but it was costing her a good deal of energy. She didn't remembering tiring so easily when she first started casting magic.

Max continued to goad Emily. "You're half the magician your mother was. Is that because you're half magic?"

"What difference does it make?" Emily asked. "If my mother could defeat you, then so can I. And though I may be half magic, given the fact that my kind has beaten your kind over and over again, that makes you a washed up has-been!" And she charges at Max with her light magic surrounding her. "I am my mother's daughter, Max. And like her, I won't stop until I know my friends and family are safe."

"You don't even know the first thing about your mother," Max argued, "So spare me the pompous heroics." To fend her off and push her aside, Max uses a wind based spell called Air Blast. That was actually true. Having once been friends with Mystery, Max did know the queen better.

"Maybe I didn't know her any better than you did," Emily admitted. "But if you'll look at how you and I are fighting right now, I'm sure it's similar to the fight you had with her. You can also tell I'm fighting for something more than victory, but for the people I care about. But I'll let you be the judge of that."

As they kept going back and forth at each other with their spells, Max did see some key differences and similarities between Emily and Mystery. Emily was showing more persistence and bravery than the queen did. Supposedly, that came from her father. But like the queen, Emily wouldn't give up until the fight was done and her friend was saved. It was also true that Emily wasn't putting up much of a fight because she was half the magician her mother was. At the same time, she didn't want to hurt Max. Even though this was the evil spirit of the Cobalt Star shard, she's done a lot of good more than a lot of bad and Emily was grateful to her. She protected her friend in Battle City and she also helped her host to learn from the mistakes she made when she almost sold her real friends to those who promised her power. And this Max knew that Emily considered her a friend just as Mystery did. But was Emily fighting to try to help Max on her path to save mankind just as Yami was doing for Seto and as Mystery did long ago? Max knew this much, however, Emily was fighting too hard and pushing herself.

Max was still standing and Emily was about ready to fall on her knees. Even her healing magic wasn't doing a lot. Her Cure Water replenished her health and brought her temperature back to normal from all the effort of casting magic, but her muscles were still sore. Max saw this and asked, "Why are you trying so hard? Even you know when to yield."

"That's true," Emily was saying, "but to give up the fight would mean giving up on those I'm fighting for; including you." To explain what she means, she tells Max, "I've never had anything personal against you; not even from the very beginning when we first met. Not in the ancient past, but in the modern era. I had no idea who you were. Even when I realized you were an ancient spirit, I still saw my friend. Though you were two separate beings, you were my friend too. I can't hurt you; not after all you've done for me and the rest of our friends. I'm not doing this to find my own strength or find out how alike I am with my parents, but to save you from the forces of evil."

Max couldn't believe what she was hearing. _The princess thinks of me as her friend, even after all I've done?_ But she had to admit, she did do a lot of good. Not just because she felt like she had favors to owe, but because she considered everyone else her friends too. _When I sold myself to the Dark Lord and bonded with the Cobalt Star, I was supposed to have been the one to kill Mystery. But I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't kill my friend. And I won't start now_. Max approaches Emily and smiles compassionately. "Take my hand, Princess."

Emily looks up to her and places her hand in Max's. She carefully pulls Emily up to help her stand. "But why?"

"Rather than pursue victory, you put everything else aside and put your friends before you," Max answered. "Just like your mother. She refused to give up on me because she knew that even though I was fighting to serve the Dark Lord, I was still her friend."

Then Emily remembered the story Mystery told her back in the palace; how she met a friend who was also a Cobaltite. "Wait a minute, are you… are you Luna?"

"I was," Max answered. "But when I bonded with the Cobalt Star, I took on a new identity. But it didn't really change who I was." It was true. Though she was now Max on the outside, she was still Luna on the inside. Though she was turned into Mystery's foe, she remained her friend. "I spent many nights wishing I could take back all the things I did, wishing that the Dark Lord chose another to serve as Mystery's foe on his behalf. At the same time, I had no regrets. I had power and even faced my destiny. You see, Princess, I'm not just a Cobaltite; I'm also a Dark Knight."

Emily had heard about the legend of the Knights of Light and Darkness back at the palace. It was the legend of the two warriors of the two tribes fighting not to serve their deities, but to end the fight once and for all. "Is that another reason why you refused to fight us?"

"You're almost right," said Max. "The forces of light and shadows are still unbalanced. It's been this way since the night the Millennium Items were created and when the border first opened." That was when the power of the Gods was first tampered with. If the clash of light and shadows created Millennia's treasures and opened the border between the human world and the Shadow Realm, Bakura got the idea that perhaps using Millennia's power to bring about the Dark One would even the balance between them. Millennia and Cobalt wondered the same thing, but not even that worked. Then the Stars were shattered and the shards scattered. The forces are still unbalanced because only one Star is whole again.

Thinking about it made Max change the subject a little. "Princess Emily, when you first assembled the Millennium Star, before you used it to save your world, you had been relying on your mother's strength."

"I know," said Emily. "I found that out when I realized her spirit was dwelling within the Millennium Star. But not anymore."

"That's right. Now you must rely on your own strength to see you through. That's why I challenged you to this battle; to test your strength and find out if you were anything at all like your mother."

"And what did you find out?"

"Well, I stand by the fact that you're half the magician your mother was. But at the same time, you've surpassed her in strength; not in body, but in spirit. Your magic is twice as strong as it used to be, so that's why you're feeling more exhausted. But now that our battle is over, you won't tire so quickly anymore."

"Max," Emily was saying, "Was this your real motive all along? Does this mean you've never had any intention of destroying mankind?"

She shakes her head. "I was in this to help my friends past and present in return for all that they've done for me. I was trying to help your father face his destiny by replaying my role in the past with everything I learned and gained from my journeys. I've helped you by giving you this challenge. Now the deed is done and I can finally leave in peace."

This was something Max had wanted for a long time. Back when Emily used the Millennium Star and found herself in the void between the living and the departed, Max and the queen met up. "Queen Mystery, I will never thank you or your daughter enough. She sacrificed herself to save mankind just as you did. She saved all of her friends, including the girl whose vessel I forcefully control."

"Yes, you and I are even now," said Mystery. "You betrayed the Dark Lord and sacrificed yourself so that I could save mankind, including you. I said I owed you my daughter's life for that. By giving her life to save her friend, she saved you as well."

"You may have paid your debt, but now, Max owes Emily her life since she used the Millennium Star," her friend was saying. "That is one reason why I must go back."

Mystery was surprised. "You're not coming?"

"I am," Max replied. "There's just something I need to do first before I can come with you."

The queen sighed and said she understood. It had always been this way. Max would never be able to find peace until one last task had been fulfilled. "Do what you must," she told her. "I shall wait for you." And with that being settled, Mystery went to the world beyond and Max returned to the Cobalt Star shard.

Emily was touched by Max's story. "You really are a humble and true friend," she whispered.

"Thank you," Max said gratefully. "I have nothing left to give now, Emily. I can't protect you anymore. Now you and Max must finish what Mystery and I started and find a way to end this feud once and for all. Remember, as long as the Millennium and Cobalt Stars exist, the fight will continue. But Mystery and I have faith in the both of you. Help each other, protect each other, and learn from each other just as Mystery and I did. Because light and darkness can't survive without each other." And her body begins to fade.

"Wait, are you leaving?"

"I must," Max replied. "Mystery is waiting for me." She chuckles and says, "It's quite a miracle that a Cobaltite like me can find salvation and peace. I pray that Bakura will be able to as well. But then again, knowing him, it may not be likely." She opens her eyes and lets the tears filling them flow. "Thank you for everything; you and your friends. Thank you and goodbye." And Max fades and is carried away.

"Goodbye, my friend," Emily sobbed. _Max was just like us. She just wanted to end the fight and help her friends_. But it wasn't over yet. Just as Max gave her life to save her friends, now Emily must save her family in return for them saving her. But she couldn't leave without Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba.


	19. The Hero of Courage

The Hero of Courage

Bakura had to admit he was impressed with Yugi's effort. "Who knew you'd get this far without the pharaoh holding your hand?"

"When the fate of the world's at stake, you'd be surprised how well I can duel," said Yugi. "And don't forget, I'm one of Millennia's chosen warriors; the hero of courage, just like the pharaoh."

"And don't forget, I'm the heir of the Dark Lord Cobalt," Bakura countered. He plays a magic card called Spirit Sword of Sealing to remove Yugi's Silent Swordsman from the field. With Yugi's best card in play rendered useless, so was its ability to grow in levels with each passing turn. And Bakura's magic card couldn't be removed by the effects of a trap, spell, or monster. Afterwards, Bakura summons Disgraced Mage, a monster with 1700 attack points. He knew attacking Marshmallon wouldn't destroy it, but he attacked anyway to deal damage to Yugi's life points since it was still in attack mode. Now Yugi was down to his last 1000 life points. Bakura also revealed that if Yugi's monster wasn't indestructible, the effects of his Spirit Sword of Sealing would have been removed. Now Yugi knows that he has to get one of his monsters sent to his graveyard in order to free his Silent Swordsman.

Seeing Yugi look so frustrated made Bakura chuckle in amusement. "Looks like you could have used the pharaoh's help after all, you pathetic mortal!"

Kaiba held himself and shuddered. Hearing Bakura say that made chills run down his spine. "Jesus, something is just not right about Bakura."

"And this is something you're realizing just now?" Joey asked. "He's nuts and he'll always be nuts!"

"Don't you think it's strange that he calls Yugi a 'pathetic mortal'? He said it like he wasn't human or something. I swear, there's something not normal about him."

"Maybe it's because he's an ancient spirit and he's also the heir of Cobalt," Joey assumed.

Yugi shared the same concerns, but there was no time to worry about that right now. It was his turn again. His Silent Swordsman was still trapped and unable to jump one level, but he could still summon other monsters. Yugi played another diminutive monster called Blocken, a creature with 300 defense points.

Bakura still grinned in disbelief. "Just when I thought your deck of miniature misfits couldn't get any worse, you play that." He commanded his Disgraced Mage to attack Marshmallon once again.

Joey covers his eyes and cries, "No, I can't watch!" But he can't look away either. "Fine, I will, but do something, Yugi."

Kaiba sighed and placed his palm against his face. "Do you have to be so embarrassing?"

Just when the Disgraced Mage was about to attack, Blocken's special ability kicked in. It stepped in to protect Marshmallon and take the attack. Yugi's life points remained unharmed and because a monster was sent to his graveyard, the effect of Bakura's Spirit Sword of Sealing would be removed. But nothing happened. It turns out that a monster destroyed by Disgraced Mage goes back to the player's hand. But Blocken had another special ability. It allowed Yugi to summon a monster known as Len Guard to take its place. It had 300 attack points and 100 defense points. To end his turn, Bakura places three cards face down. "That's the worst deck I've ever seen! And you call yourself the hero of courage? More like the hero of runts!"

Yugi paid no attention to his opponent's remarks. This deck was a reflection of his soul. The monsters seemed small and insignificant, just like how everyone thought Yugi to be. But there was more to each of them just like how there was more to Yugi. He was the hero of courage, but he was also the silent warrior. And sometimes, the most silent voice is the courageous one.

Kaiba and Joey thought Yugi was crazy when he ordered Marshmallon to attack the Disgraced Mage. The attack would have drained the rest of his life points, but it didn't. The damage was transferred to Len Guard, so Yugi didn't lose any life points from the attack. And by absorbing damage, Len Guard was sent to the graveyard, freeing Silent Swordsman from the Spirit Sword of Sealing. Now that the Swordsman was back in action, he was able to attack and destroy the Disgraced Mage with his Silent Sword Slash. Although the Mage was in attack mode, Bakura didn't lose any life points. The Mage's special ability allowed him to avoid damage by transferring his entire hand to his deck after it was attacked. Bakura reshuffled his deck and drew a new hand.

The first thing Bakura does is play Pot of Greed to draw two cards from his deck. He also reveals one of his face down cards. It was a magic card called Curse of Twin Dolls. Two Dolls came to the field each holding a box. One box contained a curse while the other contained a gift. Yugi chose the red box held by the Doll dressed in blue, leaving Bakura with the black box held by the Doll dressed in red.

The contents contained in the box Yugi chose seemed to be the gift. Now every time a card would be sent to Yugi's graveyard, he would receive 200 extra life points. The curse contained in Bakura's box destroyed his graveyard. Every card sent to Bakura's graveyard returned to the field as spirits.

Fear began to take over Joey once again. He hid behind Kaiba and cried, "Don't let 'em get me!"

"Hey, do I look like a human shield to you!?" Kaiba snapped.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Kaiba. Yes, you do."

It wouldn't be so bad. The phantoms on Bakura's side of the field couldn't attack or defend, so they posed no threat to Yugi. But Yugi had a feeling these phantoms would be dangerous and a lot to contend with. To end his turn, Bakura summons Necro Soldier in defense mode. "You're teetering on the edge of the Shadow Realm, Yugi," said Bakura. "One false move and you'll be trapped for eternity." Before Yugi could take his turn, Necro Soldier's special ability kicked in. It allowed Bakura to summon another Necro Soldier to the field. And since the ability applied to his new monster, Bakura now had three Necro Soldiers on the field. Plus, Silent Swordsman jumped to level five and became 500 attack points stronger. Yugi summoned Silent Magician to accompany her warrior counterpart. She was at level zero and had 1000 attack points, but her powers and abilities would prove to be similar to her counterpart's. Marshmallon and the Silent Magician destroyed two of the Necro Soldiers, but Silent Swordsman didn't get a chance to attack. Bakura activated a trap called Narrow Corridor. Now Yugi couldn't attack with more than two monsters and now that two of his monsters attacked, his turn was over. Plus, the two Necro Soldiers returned to the field as phantoms.

It was Bakura's turn again, but Silent Magician's special ability kicked in. Now she would grow one level and gain 500 attack points for every card Bakura would draw. It didn't matter to the heir of Cobalt. He was ready to begin his true strategy. He played a magic card called Counter Balance. Now at the end of the player's turn, the player would be forced to send a certain number of cards from the deck to the graveyard equal to the number of monsters on the field. But since Bakura had no graveyard, his magic card didn't apply to him. So Yugi would be the only one forced to give up cards. And it would get worse as Bakura would continue to summon more monsters like Necro Mannequin. After that, he plays a trap called Necro Cycle, letting him summon another Mannequin each turn.

Silent Swordsmen grew one more level and now had 4000 attack points and another Necro Mannequin appeared on Bakura's side of the field. Yugi sent his Silent monsters to attack the Soldier and one of the Mannequins. Now that Yugi attacked, his turn was over and he was forced to send eleven cards from his deck to his graveyard, leaving him with a deck of seventeen cards. But for the eleven cards Yugi was forced to discard, he received 2200 life points thanks to his gift from Bakura's Curse of Twin Dolls.

It was Bakura's turn again, which meant that Silent Magician jumped to level two. Bakura summoned Necro Wall, allowing him to summon two wall tokens for the two Mannequins he had on the field. Now there were fourteen monsters on the field. Silent Swordsman was now at level seven with 4500 attack points. The Swordsman and the Magician attacked and destroyed the two tokens. Since they weren't monsters, Bakura received no damage. Yugi's turn wasn't over yet. He activated a magic card called Aria from Beyond, allowing him to reactivate a magic card that had already been played and removed from the game. He chose the Spirit Sword of Sealing and used it on his own Silent Swordsman.

Joey and Kaiba were confused. What could Yugi possibly be thinking removing his most powerful monster from the field when his opponent has so many? Whatever the reason, Yugi was still in trouble and now that his turn was really over, he was forced to discard eleven cards and gain 2200 more life points. Now he was left with five cards and 5400 life points. The blonde and the brunette prayed that Yugi would have the faith and a plan to come through.

Silent Magician was now at level three and had 2500 attack points. Rather than end the duel right away, Bakura figured it would be more fun to watch Yugi tremble in fear. So he summoned Necro Jar and sent it to attack Silent Magician. It costed him 1400 life points, but it was a price worth paying. For every 300 life points Bakura lost, Yugi was forced to give up one card. He sacrificed his life points to force Yugi to discard four cards. Now Yugi was left with only one card in his deck and 6200 life points.

"And so the end is near," the heir of Cobalt was saying. "Not only the end of our duel, but the end of the world as well. With you and your friends trapped in the Shadow Realm, the pharaoh and his friends will never defeat Zorc." Two more wall tokens appeared on the field, giving a grand total of twelve monsters in play. "I knew it all along. Without the pharaoh, you're nothing. He's the King of Games. You're just a frightened child like the princess."

"Don't listen to him, Yugi," cried Kaiba. "You can do this!"

"Kaiba's right, pal," said Joey. "He's just trying to psyche you out!"

"I'm the only one being honest," Bakura protested. "Think about every important duel you've ever fought. Who was doing all the work and fighting every opponent? The pharaoh, that's who."

Yugi couldn't ignore what Bakura was telling him because it was true. Suddenly, a scene flashed before his eyes. The pharaoh and the others were in trouble. Zorc was overwhelming every one of them and they needed help. He heard Yami's voice echo in his head. _"Yugi, I can't do this without you. Please, help me. Help us. The future of mankind depends on it."_

Yugi snapped out of it and began to gather his courage. Even if what Bakura said was true, Yami and Yugi were a team and would always be there to help each other. He raises his voice and says with determination, "The pharaoh needs us! And this duel's still on! I have one card left and that's all I need." He draws his card and grins. "I sacrifice my Mashmallon and my Silent Magician so I can summon this: Gandora the Dragon of Destruction!"

"No, not that!" Bakura cried. A ferocious pitch-black Dragon covered with red jewels came to the field.

"The game's not over until the last card is played and my last card has the power to stop you," said Yugi. Gandora began activating its special ability of Boundless Giga Rays, destroying all monsters on the field including itself and the phantoms. Many would consider it luck of the draw, but it wasn't luck that allowed Yugi to draw this card; it was courage and faith.

It wasn't over yet. Bakura still had all of his life points. But Yugi still had one last monster. His Silent Swordsman was still pinned to the wall by the Spirit Sword of Sealing. And since Gandora was just sent to the graveyard after using its special ability, his Swordsman was free again. He dealt the last attack and destroyed all of Bakura's life points, ending the duel.

Kaiba and Joey cheered and high-fived each other.

The duel was over, but Bakura still had a few things left to say. "I wouldn't be celebrating if I were you. I'm afraid your victory is all in vain. While you were busy playing cards, Zorc was busy ushering the age of darkness. So despite your apparent victory here tonight, in reality, Max and I win the game. And now Father Cobalt will rule all!" And the heir of Cobalt faded away laughing.

The boys felt rumbling and knew they had to escape from the tomb and find Emily. They see her near the exit and meet up with her. "Em, you're okay," Joey cheered. "I guess you beat Max after all."

"Well, you could say that," she replied. "I guess you guys beat Bakura?"

"Yup," said Joey. "And now that that's over, we can pick up where we left off."

"And we've got to hurry," said Yugi. "The pharaoh and the others need our help." They all agree and begin to return to the palace. But their path is blocked by dark beings. No doubt they were sent by the Dark Lord to attack them. There was no time to bother fighting them. They had to get to Yami and tell him what they found out. So they unfold their wings and begin flying.


	20. Heroes of Millennia

Heroes of Millennia

The battle wasn't looking too good for the royals. Zorc seemed almost impossible to defeat. It seemed not even the great beasts and warriors of legend could defeat the Dark One. With Yami and the others taken to recover, their friends continued to fight in their place. Legendary Pokémon from the different corners of the world had come to fight to save mankind. There were also Mana Dragons, ferocious demons, and heroes from foreign lands. They had all come together to save their planet and stop the darkness. They were all doing well, it seemed. But how long would it last?

"Where is your Great Goddess now?" Zorc asked. "I will tell you, she is cowering and ready to surrender to the darkness. The Dark Lord Cobalt will rule." And he continued to fight off the monsters and warriors opposing him.

The Legendary Pokémon were lead by Jirachi. He decided it was time he started acting like a prince and fought to protect his country and his loved ones. "In the name of the Great Goddess, we shall return you to the Realm of Shadows," he decreed.

"Foolish monster," Zorc jeered. "The Dark Realm you now speak is now here in this earth. And I shall reign supreme!"

"You are a trespasser, Zorc, not only in this kingdom, but in this world. And it is time we removed you! Brothers and sisters, lend me your strength so that together, we may win!" And they all use their strongest attacks to fight. But it's still not enough to bring down Zorc.

Inside the palace, Mana and Mystery were using their magic to heal their friends. With the rest of their friends having surrendered to the shadows, Mana, Yami, Mystery, Seto, and Joseph were the only ones left who could still fight. With their energy fully restored, they could get back to the battle. Watching from the balcony, they saw the clash going on. "Look at that," said Joseph. "It's like all the nations have come together."

"Where did they all come from?" Yami asked.

"While you were unconscious, Jirachi called upon the beasts of Council Rock for help. Soon all of the great beasts of legend and heroes from foreign lands started coming to help us," Mystery told him.

"They all seem to be holding their own, but who knows how long it's going to last," said Mana.

"Well, we need all the strength and support we can get," said Seto.

"But we can't let them fight alone," said Mystery. "They need our help."

Before the queen can unfold her wings, Mana takes her hand and says, "But you need to rest. Your wounds from your battle with Max haven't fully healed yet."

Right now, Mystery's well-being was the least of her problems. There was too much at stake. "If Bakura used the Millennium Star to summon Zorc, maybe I can use it to destroy him." She places her hand close to her chest to release it. After rescuing her daughter, Mystery was also able to get back the Millennium Star and keep it safe in her heart.

Yami knew what she was thinking, but he wouldn't allow it. "No!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him.

The queen groans and asks, "Are you mad? What are you doing?"

"Please listen," Yami pleaded. "If you use the Millennium Star, not only will you end up destroying yourself, but you'll destroy our own daughter as well. I can't let you do that. It's her heart and soul too. And I can't lose either of you. The both of you mean more to me than anything." Mystery silently gasps and smiles at her husband. It was like he was coming back. She closes her eyes and presses her lips against his. Yami's eyes widen, but he sighs and closes them. From that instant, his life begins flashing before his eyes. Every memory of his ancient past was playing out before him. Everything he had forgotten was coming back.

They come apart and open their eyes. "And I feel the same way for you and for our baby," Mystery tells her husband. "If there's another way, then let's find it together."

Joseph nods in agreement. "Count me in."

"I won't give up either," said Seto.

"All right, then. Let's go," said Yami.

Mystery turned around and asked, "Mana, please stay here and keep Emily safe. I promise we'll all be back."

The magician nods and takes the princess into her arms. "I'll take care of her. I'll also help in any way that I can from right here. Good luck to all of you." They all wish for her safety as well. Mana watched her friends leave and return to the battlefield from the palace balcony.

When Yami and the others made it outside the palace walls, they saw that many more people had been lost to the shadows and that some of the monsters had turned to stone. Many of the other beasts left and retreated. Now it was just Millennia's warriors against the Dark One.

"We now stand face-to-face for the last time," growled Zorc. "Millennia's light against Cobalt's darkness. And just as it has since the dawn of time, darkness shall prevail. That is the inevitable. You see, the universe itself was born without light," Zorc was telling Mystery. "All that existed was a vast wasteland of shadows. And though light attempts to illuminate this darkness, it is always extinguished in the end. And the same holds true for you and your family. Each of you is a faint flicker whose glow has expired."

"You're wrong," Mystery protested. "There is no darkness without light. I know that now. Neither light nor darkness can exist without each other."

Yami agreed. "It is light that gave life into this world. It is light that gives us faith and strength. And it is light that shall defeat you."

"And not just any light," Joseph added, "the light of the Great Goddess Millennia!"

"Then let us put your theory to the test!" Zorc roared. Seeing that he was about to attack, Yami grabbed Mystery and held her in a protective way. Seto and Joseph did the same thing to them. But just when the attack was about to strike them, something blocked it and began protecting them. At first, Yami thought it was Hasan, but knew it would be impossible because Zorc already condemned him to the Shadow Realm. When the golden mask came apart, Yami saw that it was Shadi. He used his power to transport his spirit into Hasan's body to protect the pharaoh.

"Pharaoh, you and your friends must never surrender to the darkness," Shadi tells him. "The Children of Millennia will soon arrive bearing the information that you need."

"The Children of Millennia," Yami repeated in question. Shadi grinned and nodded. Then the attack subsided and he was gone. "Thank you."

Zorc growled once more. "Exactly as I predicted. Everything shall return to darkness just as it always does and the world you know shall crumble! Look at you all standing in the ruins of what the Great Goddess Millennia called home."

"This is not over," Seto promised. "Millennia's light still shines and as long as it does, you and the Dark Lord will never prevail."

"Your friends have surrendered to the shadows, your subjects have deserted you and you speak of hope," Zorc asked. "Even in your darkest hour, you refuse to give in. How unsurprisingly human of you. Open your eyes, Children of Millennia, your empire has fallen."

"Never!" Yami cried. _Yugi, everyone, I can't fight him without your help. Please, I know you're out there._

As if his prayers were heard, Yugi and the others finally came to the rescue. "I hope we're not too late," said Joey.

"Father, Mom," Emily cried. "Are you guys all right?"

Mystery was surprised. "Emily, you and your friends came back. Thank you."

Zorc didn't think Yugi and the others were of any threat to him. "You mortals should have stayed in your own world. Now your souls belong to me." He tried to attack, but they all dodged. But it wasn't just Zorc Yugi and the others had to contend with. There was an army of Skull Knights coming to attack them.

But Yugi knew what to do. He remembered that if he and his friends concentrated hard enough, their thoughts could become real. So he concentrated and a duel disk materialized around his left arm. "You know what I always say: when in doubt, put your faith in the Heart of the Cards. And with the deck the pharaoh and I built together, we can blast this monster back to the Shadow Realm."

Emily concentrates as well and she gets her deck and duel disk as well. "We have a saying back home: It's time to duel!" Together, she and Yugi summon Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Kaiba and Joey join in and summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now all of Millennia's warriors were together and ready to fight.

Seto's eyes widen. "Kisara," he whispered. Joseph whispered Freya's name as well.

"You're all here," said Yami.

"Of course, my king," the Dark Magician tells him. "We made a vow to protect all of you at all costs."

"All right, team," Kaiba tells his friends, "let's show this ancient overgrown windbag how we do things back home."

"Sounds good to me," said Joey. But before they can deal with Zorc, they have to take on the Skull Knights. Mahad uses his Dark Magic attack and the Black Dragon uses her Inferno Fire Blast. But for every Skull Knight destroyed, a new one takes his place. Mana joins in and attacks with her Dark Burning and the White Dragon launches her White Lightning.

"Leave these demons to us," said Dark Magician Girl. "The royals need you."

Yugi and the others agree and get down to help their ancestors. "We knew you would all return," Mystery said gratefully.

"We'll have you fixed up in no time," Emily promised and began using her magic to heal everybody. Zorc was about to try and land another attack on them, but the Dark Magicians stopped him. Knowing the Magicians and the Dragons will keep fighting to protect their friends, Zorc decides to deal with them.

"Yugi," Yami said weakly, "were you able to locate my name?" Seeing him nod, he asks, "What is it?"

Zorc chuckled. "These children may have found the location of your real name, Pharaoh, however, they were unable to read it. It was written in a language unfamiliar to them."

Yugi admitted that Zorc was telling the truth. "We made it through your tomb and there it was on the back wall. There was one problem; your name was carved in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics."

"We know what the symbols looked like, but we don't know how to say it," said Kaiba. "But name or no name, we have to keep on fighting." Joey agrees and he and Kaiba tell their Dragons to attack. Once again, they use their White Lighting and Inferno Fire Blast to strike Zorc. Having grown tired of their efforts, Zorc attacks and destroys the Dragons. By sharing a strong connection with their Dragons, Kaiba and Joey feel their pain like their hearts are being crushed. Seto and Joseph were distraught to see the Dragons being attacked, but they couldn't ignore their descendants. "So this is what it feels like to be dealt damage in a Shadow Game," Kaiba groaned. "When our monsters feel pain, so do we."

Mana and Mahad see that they're the only ones left. "We cannot let Kisara and Freya's efforts be in vain," said Mahad. "The rest of our friends are depending on us now. You know what we must do." His student nods. They get past the Skull Knights and strike Zorc with their magic. They wonder if they were able to defeat him until the smoke of the blast clears up.

"Haven't you learned by now that I am impervious to all attacks?" Zorc asked. "Now surrender your spirits to the shadows!" And he attacks the Dark Magicians.

Both of the mages turn around and face their friends. "I know you will defeat him," said Mahad.

"Farewell, my king and queen," said Dark Magician Girl. "And farewell, Princess Emily." And they're both gone. Yugi and Emily both cry out in pain as the shadows engulf their favorite monsters. Mana felt a pain in her chest and knew that the creature of her soul had been crushed. Now her soul would be sent to the Shadow Realm as well.

Emily quickly pulled herself together. _We have to find a way to tell my father his name and we're running out of time._ Then she saw the cartouche hanging from Yami's neck and got an idea. "Guys, I know what we can do. If we concentrate hard enough, maybe we can engrave my father's name on the cartouche I gave him. It worked when we got our decks and duel disks."

Yugi immediately agreed. "We have to. It's our only chance." They all put their hands together and start concentrating. It works as the hieroglyphics start to appear.

Joseph was confused. "I don't get it. What are you all doing?"

"They're trying to help us in the best way possible," Mystery said, though she didn't really understand herself. "We have to buy them some time and keep Zorc at bay."

Having grown tired of their efforts, Zorc attacks once more. Seeing this, Mystery activates her Lucid Barrier to shield everyone from his attack. He begins to think he's won until the dust from his attack clears and everyone is still standing. He also saw that they succeeded in printing the pharaoh's name on the cartouche.

All of the heroes saw it too. "Pharaoh, can you read the hieroglyphics?" Kaiba asked.

He could. "My ancient name has been revealed. I am King Atem!" He declared. At last, he would no longer be known as the nameless pharaoh or even just be called 'Pharaoh'. He was no longer Yami either.

Just then, he heard his father's voice ring through his head. _"You and your friends now possess the power to defeat the Dark One, my son."_

" _But how, Father?"_

" _Unite the power of four souls and use the Millennium Star,"_ he answered.

"Four souls," Atem echoed. Now he knew what needed to be done. "Mystery, you were right. The Millennium Star is the key to defeating Zorc. But you can't use it alone. We all must use it; you, me, Seto, and Joseph. We must combine our powers."

"Very well," Mystery says and removes the Millennium Star from her heart.

Now that the pharaoh knew his name, Zorc was finally reacting in fear. But he would not give his foes the opportunity to defeat him. "You may now remember your name, but I will not allow you to stop me like you did before."

Atem grinned. "You're right, Zorc. This time, things will be different. For there is something my friends and I haven't done yet; unite the power of four souls!" Everyone's amulets begin glowing and he and his friends begin transforming into Millennia's warriors and let their traits fill their spirits. Seto, Joseph, Mystery, and Atem place their hands over the Millennium Star and combine their powers. "By joining together the powers of courage, friendship, love, and wisdom, we are now able to bring forth our divine sister." The power of their spirits combined brings forth a new kind of monster. "Behold the entity born from the will of the Great Goddess Millennia: the Creator of Light!" The Creator looked like an Egyptian Goddess with white skin and clad in gold. Zorc cowered as he saw her.

"Darkness, begone!" Millennia's warriors shouted. The Creator of Light heard their cries and began striking Zorc with her light. This time, Zorc was finally gone and the darkness was lifting. Dawn was sarting to break too.

Everyone watched in amazement. "So that's it?" Kaiba asked. "Is the mighty entity born from the will of Cobalt finally gone?"

Joey nods. "Thanks to the entity born from the will of Millennia."

Emily smiled. "And we owe it all to you, Father. I mean, Pharaoh. I mean-"

Joey places his hand over her shoulder. "Atem," he corrected. "It's cool that after all these years, we finally know your name." Atem agreed and he owed it all to his friends.

"So now what?" Emily asked. "Now that Zorc is gone and the world is saved, what's next?"

Even the others weren't too sure. "Do we wait for the next villain?" Atem wondered.

"No, my brother," the Creator of Light answered. "There will not be another. You and our family conquered the entity born from the will of the Dark Lord and stopped his wishes from coming to pass. You have fulfilled your destiny with the help of your descendants. That is why your spirit returned to this world after five thousand years; so you could rescue mankind once again and continue to fulfill our mother's wishes. There is but one more task for you to carry out before your spirit may return to its resting place. And worry not, Children of Millennia. Mother Goddess will always be with every one of you." And she disappears.

"Thank you, Sister," Mystery whispered. She turns her attention to her husband. "So it's all true."

Atem faces his wife in confusion. "Have you known all this time?"

"I guess a part of me always did," she replies. "And when I met our future children, I finally understood the meaning behind it all." Seto and Joseph nod in agreement. But it didn't matter anymore. They didn't need to understand. They decided to just embrace it.

Atem had many other wonders. Would he and Yugi separate after the end of this journey? "It's strange. Now that I remember everything, I feel like my own person." Yugi felt the same way. For so many years, he and Atem had been sharing the same identity. Now they were both about to become their own person. Atem turns his attention to Emily and smiles at her. "Emily, thank you for your gift. We couldn't have defeated Zorc without it."

A red hue stretched across Emily's face. "Well, you and Mom saved my life. I guess it was my turn to save you guys and even pay you back."

Atem chuckles and turns his attention to Kaiba, Yugi, and Joey as well. "And all of you, what can I say? Had it not been for your help, I could never have fulfilled my destiny. You four are all heroes."

"I am in agreement," says Mystery. "We are all in your debt."

Joseph nods as well. "We called ourselves the Children of Millennia. But you, well, you're not children anymore."

"You've all grown up and surpassed us," Seto tells them. "Now you're Heroes of Millennia."

Joey was flattered hearing that. "Now that you mention it, I was pretty brave."

Kaiba scoffed. "Last I checked, courage was Yugi's element."

"Who asked you, wise guy?" Joey asked.

Kaiba snickered. "You know, I take that as a compliment. Wisdom is my element."

But Yugi wasn't one to brag. "Come on, we know they're talking about all of us. After all, we're a team."

"Better than a team, we're a family," said Emily.

Joseph smiled and sniffled. "Kids sure grow up so fast, don't they?" He asked Seto. "But you gotta let 'em go. I'm so proud of 'em all. I mean, children are meant to surpass their parents, right?"

Seto rolls his eyes. "Don't embarrass me."


	21. Settling Affairs

Settling Affairs

Everyone was ready to return to the palace with a few surprises. When they came to the front gate, Mana greeted them. Everyone was happy to see her looking back to her old self again. Even the infant princess was still well. Mystery was happy to have her daughter back into her arms again. After Mana finished hugging her friends, she told Seto and Joseph she had a surprise for them. The blonde and the brunette weren't sure what it was about, but they followed her.

Mana brought everybody to the palace balcony. To everyone's surprise, Kisara and Freya were right there lying on their backs. "How did Kisara and Freya get here?" Joseph asked in confusion. "We left them at the temple."

Mana shrugged. "I guess the Great Goddess brought them here."

Joseph gets down and places Freya's head on her lap. "Freya, are you back?" He got no answer. His heart began to race and tears began to fill his eyes. "No, it can't be. I thought if we could defeat Zorc, you would be rescued from the shadows. But I guess it's true. You can't live without your Black Dragon." He hugged her and began crying. "Oh, Freya. I wish I could undo what happened. If you come back, we can have the future we dreamed we would have. We can finally get married and start a family. I hoped we would and even now I still hope we can. Please, come back, Freya."

The scene was bringing tears to Joey's eyes. "I'm sorry, Joseph."

His ancestor looked at him with tears. "Thank you, Joey." He knew it would be pointless, but Joseph just wanted to kiss her. So he leaned down and pressed his lips against Freya's. As he kissed her, he felt a palm against his cheek, causing him to open his eyes. Was it possible?

It was. Freya opened her eyes and smiled. "Joseph."

"Freya!" he cheered. He placed his arms around her and they both rolled over and laughed. They smiled and began kissing again.

Seto wondered, if Freya was back, then was Kisara back too? He knelt down and called her name. "Kisara, can you hear me?"

Kaiba gets down and places his fingertips against her neck. His eyes widened. "She has a pulse. She's okay, Seto."

And Kisara began groaning. She lifts herself from the ground and opens her eyes. "I'm back," she whispered. "That means," she turns and sees her love. "Seto!"

Tears fall from Seto's eyes. "Kisara, at last!" And they do the same thing as Freya and Joseph and begin kissing. The brunette turns his attention to Mana and tells her gratefully, "Thank you, Mana. This is the best surprise you've ever given any of us."

Mana giggled. "What can I say? It's in my element to make my friends happy in every way possible."

"This is better than a surprise, this is a miracle," said Emily.

"Seto, does that mean you got your wish?" Yugi asked.

He faces him and nods. "It sure does, Yugi."

Kaiba was confused. "What did you wish for exactly?"

His ancestor dries his eyes. "Do you remember when I said I prayed for all of us to return to the life we once knew once this would all be over?" All of his friends nod. "This was part of my wish: for all of us to be together again. Though I knew everyone who surrendered their spirits to the shadows would return, I hoped that would include Freya and Kisara."

"My wish was similar to Seto's," Joseph explains. "I wished for everyone we lost to return so we could start over. Now we can have the futures we dreamed of having before this madness started."

It made sense to Emily. She remembered that whoever uses the Millennium star gets to make a wish. This meant that Seto and Joseph made their wishes on the Millennium Star when they used it to summon the Creator of Light. And now the Great Goddess granted their wishes. Then she wondered, "Mom, Father, did you guys make a wish on the Millennium Star too?"

Her parents face each other and smile. Mystery decides to go first. "I think my wish already came true, Emily. You see, when I met you and your friends for the first time, I knew that a bright future awaited all of us. And I wanted it to stay that way. That was when I knew I had to do everything in my power to prevent the darkness from prevailing. And by saving the kingdom, we saved our future and yours. Now you and your friends can continue to live long and live in happiness. And that is all I want for all of you."

Atem smiles and nods. "I made the very same wish as your mother and Seto and Joseph. I wished for everyone who was lost to return so we could have bright futures and our children could do the same. Now we have nothing to fear because Millennia granted all of our wishes."

Mystery nods in agreement. "And just as our divine sister promised, the Great Goddess will continue to watch over us and our children and our children's children."

This was the happiest any one of the friends had ever felt in so long. It was like all of their fears were gone and so many good things were awaiting them. As much as everyone wanted to continue spending time getting to know each other, Yugi knew it was time to go home and he and his friends had completed their tasks. "Queen Mystery, thank you for a wonderful time and for making us feel like a part of your world."

"And thank you, Yugi, for protecting my husband and saving all of us." She lowers herself and kisses his cheek.

Joseph grinned. "I gotta say, it's been a pleasure getting to know my descendant."

Joey returned the gesture. "Right back at you, pal. And it feels kind of weird saying 'goodbye'."

"Don't worry, I won't forget you," Joseph promised. "We both know that friendships of all kinds can last through the tests of time. And the bonds we shared will be no different."

The two brunettes were saying their goodbyes as well. "We've had our share of differences and similarities," Kaiba was saying, "but I'll treasure every bit of it."

"As will I," said Seto. "Make sure Yugi and Princess Emily get home safely."

"And you take care of your family too." And Kaiba and Seto shake hands.

Emily felt like she was going to miss Mana the most. "I had a lot of fun with you."

"I really wish you could stay," said the young mage. "We've become so close."

Emily chuckled. "That sounds like quite an idea." But she knew it would never be so. "But I can't stay. I don't belong here. You know that as well as I do." She turns around and faces her friends. "I have a whole other life, another home, people who love and need me and who I love and need as much." She faces Mana again and smiles. "But I'll miss every one of you."

"Me too, Emily," said Mana. "And no matter what anyone says, you'll always be a princess to me." And the girls hug and begin crying. Mana sniffles and adds, "and you'll be a great magician someday just like your mother."

Emily returned the gesture. "And you'll be a great magician just like your teacher."

The queen clears her throat. "Actually, Emily, you've already surpassed me in so many ways. I know about how you used the Millennium Star to save your world and how you sacrificed yourself to do it. You did something I could never have done. Now you know your own strength."

"Even though I'm half magic?" Emily asked.

"You may be a half-blood, but you're twice the magician I am after all that your father has told me," the queen replied. Tears begin to fill her eyes. "And I know it was only for a brief moment, but I'm glad I got to know my own daughter."

"Likewise," said Emily. "I've lived without a mother for so long. But when I met you, I was reunited with her. I was even able to address you as my mother after not being able to say those words since it happened. But I know my mom will always be in my heart no matter what."

Mystery smiled and began hugging Emily. "And you will always be in mine. I love you, Emily."

She wraps her arms around her mother and sobs. "I love you too, Mama." It felt good to say that after all these years. She lets go of her mother and dries her eyes.

Joey smiles and sets his hand on Emily shoulder. "You have a nice mom."

She nods in agreement and approaches Seto and Joseph. "Don't worry. I'm in good hands with Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba."

"We know," said Joseph. "They'll take good care of you. And you'll take care of them too."

"We're honored to have met you, Princess Emily. You've grown so beautifully," Seto tells her. "And you're so much like your mother. You also have a bit of your father in you too."

Emily chuckled once more. "Don't worry, I'll still be around." To remind them what she means, she looks at her infant self in Mystery's arms. "So we'll never really be apart."

Seto nods in agreement. "And we're going to make sure you have a bright and happy future and grow up into the young lady you are."

"This will actually be a great story to tell you someday too," Joseph adds. He and Seto lower themselves and kiss her cheeks. Normally, Yugi didn't like it when other boys got mushy with Emily. But he was okay with Seto and Joseph because they were showing gestures of family love.

Seto turns his attention to Yugi and rubs his head. "I'll miss you too, Yugi. Spending time with you made me remember my childhood with my friends. And I know you and your friends will be just as close."

"You're a good person, Seto," Yugi tells his as he shakes his hand. "And so are you, Joseph."

"Thanks, son," Joseph says as he shakes Yugi's hand. Even Kisara and Freya were saying their goodbyes as well. Though they didn't spend a lot of time with their new friends, this brief moment would be enough to treasure and be thankful for.

Kisara sighed. "I guess everything's going to change now."

Atem agreed. "The world is changing, Kisara. Humanity and history have started down a new path. Everyone is starting over and about to begin new lives." And they saw monsters of all kinds fading into lights. Even magicians and people of different nations and tribes were leaving the kingdom. And now that the ultimate Shadow Game was finally over, everyone could start over and rebuild the kingdom. "It's not going to be easy, but this kingdom shall return to its former glory," said Atem.

Mystery takes her husband's hand. "I think it's time for you and me to settle our affairs too."

Seto was confused. "What?"

Atem understood, so he explained, "The time has now come for us to leave this world and for you to take the throne. So let it be written, so let it be done."

Seto began stammering. "But after all we've been through. This kingdom needs a strong leader to move us ahead."

"And who better to lead our kingdom than you?" Atem asked.

"But we also need our leaders to keep us together," Joseph added. "Without you guys, there's no us. We're not the Children of Millennia without you."

"We'll still be with you," Atem promised. "Besides, I have no memories beyond this point, so I can no longer stay here."

"Then stay with us and we can create new memories," Joseph pleaded.

"His task here has been served," Mystery tells him. She looks away and adds, "And so has mine. I can no longer stay here either." She holds out the Millennium Star and shows her friends that it's dying. Even with the combined power of four souls, it still took a lot of energy to summon the Creator of Light. "If I serve myself to the Great Goddess, I can sustain the life of the Millennium Star and at the same time, keep Emily alive. But remember, I made a promise that I would always be with her. But first, a few things have to be set in order."

Mystery approaches Mana and presents her with the Millennium Ring. "Take this, Mana. You have earned the Millennium Ring for your bravery and loyalty in helping us to stop the Dark One. You never gave up on any of your friends and you remained faithful and optimistic. You even found the mage of your heart."

Mana's eyes shined with anticipated happiness. "Really, Queen Mystery?"

She nods and says, "Mahad would be proud of you. He would have even done the same thing if he was here." Hearing that, Mana wraps her arms around Mystery and hugs her.

Seto clears his throat. "I suppose I have an affair to settle as well." He approaches Joseph and places the Millennium Rod in his hands. "Take this. The Millennium Rod is yours now."

Joseph was surprised. "Are you serious?"

He was. "I'm stepping down as its sacred guardian and leaving you to take my place. This is something you've deserved for a long time, Joseph, and you earned it."

The blonde knew he was telling the truth. This was something that Joseph had deserved for a long time. He had been training to be a sacred guardian for years, but never felt like he was ready to become one. But he knew that this time, he was ready. It didn't seem like Seto was giving him the chance to refuse anyway. In gratitude, Joseph wraps his arms around Seto. The brunette chuckles and hugs him back.

It was now Atem's turn. He removes the Millennium Puzzle and presents it to Seto. "This is proof of your rite to the throne. Please continue to fulfill Millennia's wishes in my place. And don't worry; you have her wisdom and the support of our friends to see you through."

Tears began to fill Seto's eyes. "I will, Brother," he promised. He lowers himself so that Atem can place the Puzzle around his neck. "But what about the princess?"

Atem smiled. "You promised me and Mystery that if anything should happen to us, you would take care of her."

Seto remembered his promise, but he didn't think he would have to carry it out so soon. Plus, he didn't want Atem to leave. "I want you by my side," he said softly. "We're brothers, you and I."

"We will always be family, Seto," Atem promised. "And one day, we will all be together again. Until then, please take care of Emily. She's all Mystery and I have left." He looks down at her for one last time. He finally remembered how much he loved his daughter. And though it wasn't for very long, Atem was still happy to have experienced the joys of being a father. And it was enough to be thankful for. This would be the last time he would hold her and see her smile. As much as he wished he could stay, he didn't belong in this world anymore. But they would always be in each other's hearts.

Atem lowers himself and kisses his daughter for one last time. He does the same thing to Mystery and they both say 'goodbye' and promise to meet again. "I know she'll be in good hands with all of you," Atem tells his friends. "So I trust you. She'll have a bright future if you care for her like she was your own."

"And that's what I want for her," said Seto. "I promise I'll take care of her."

"Thank you, Seto," Atem says gratefully. He gently places the baby in Seto's arms and turns away. Mystery gives her thanks as well and begins sealing her spirit within the Millennium Star. After sealing her spirit, the Millennium Star returns to the princess' heart where it belongs. Atem leaves the balcony to join his descendants on the journey home. The pyramid was still in the sky and they all knew it would lead them home to the modern era.

Their ancient friends waved 'goodbye' as they watched them leave. "Have a safe journey," Mana called.

"We'll miss you," Joseph tells them.

"And thank you for everything," Seto cries. He releases his tears and smiles. _Farewell, my brother._ He would do everything in his power to keep his promises and he wouldn't have to do it alone. He would have his friends and the Great Goddess to stand by him.


	22. The Final Journey

The Final Journey

Everyone came to and found themselves back in the tomb where the royal tablets rested. "We're back," said Joey.

"I hope so," Yugi prayed.

"Are you worried about my father-? I mean Atem?" Emily asked him. "I thought he was coming home with us."

Yugi thought so too and wanted to make sure he wasn't still trapped in the ancient past. But there was nothing to worry about. The Millennium Puzzle glowed and the pharaoh took over. "I'm right where I belong," he told his friends. "We did it. The darkness unleashed by the Shadow Games so long ago is finally over."

"It only took you five thousand years," said Joey. "And I'm glad I was able to help."

"We all are," said Emily.

Kaiba agreed. "Helping to save the world is all in a day's work for a hero of legend. We never get tired of it."

Atem sighed. He was really going to miss all of them. "Pharaoh-, I mean Atem," Yugi was saying. "I promise one of these days I'm going to get used to that name of yours. It's hard to believe after all these years you have your memory back." Atem agreed and he owed it all to his friends.

Kaiba turned his attention back to the Tablet of Lost Memories. "Guys, look at this," he called to his friends. They all came and approached the Tablet. "It looks like Seto left us a message. To the future Children of Millennia. You have helped us to redeem the hope of having a bright future not just for ourselves, but for you as well. Now we know that Millennia's light will live on forever and so will her children."

Emily clasped her hands together. "That's so sweet of him."

Kaiba nods in agreement. "And according to the Tablet, Seto went on to be a great leader in his own rite. He continued to fulfill Millennia's wishes and he returned Egypt to the glory it once knew."

Atem whispered his gratitude to his old friend as he was looking at the Tablet. "Thank you for fulfilling your promise, Seto. You kept Millennia's dream alive and you raised Emily like she was your own. And knowing this, my spirit can finally enter its resting place."

Then Kaiba remembered something. He reached into his coat pocket and presented the Millennium Eye to Atem. "I believe you'll be needing this." Atem takes it and thanks Kaiba.

Emily called for her friends. "Hey, guys!" They all heard her and joined her at the bottom of the stairs and saw Max and Bakura coming down.

"Hello," Bakura said softly. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," Max said, looking around. "The last I remember, we were hearing voices and-" but she became unsteady and was about to fall forward. Emily went up to her and caught her friend. "I need some food," Max moaned.

"I'm not surprised," said Emily. "You guys have been gone for a long time." She remembered how Bakura came back from the Shadow Realm and was famished. She also remembered that now that the evil spirits were gone from the Millennium Ring and the Cobalt Star shard, her friends would no longer be possessed. Seeing the Cobalt Star shard hanging from Max's neck, Emily prayed, _Spirit of the Cobalt Star shard, I hope you were able to find peace._

Joey catches Bakura as he falls forward. He also removes the Millennium Ring from around his neck and presents it to Atem. "I think you should take this too." Atem takes the Millennium Ring from Joey and thanks him. He also sees the Millennium Scale and Key and promises Shadi that the Items will finally be returned to their resting place.

The whole group left the tomb and met up with the Ishtars who were waiting for them. "My pharaoh, were you able to recover your lost memories?" Ishizu asked Atem. Seeing him nod, the Ishtars are pleased to know that their family's task is finally complete.

"And the seven Millennium Items are gathered at last, so now I must seal them away so that I can finally enter the spirit world."

"You're leaving?" Emily asked.

"This is the final task of my mission, Emily."

She looks down and places her hand close to her chest. "I guess I always knew. I mean, you came back after five thousand years so you could regain your memories and save mankind. And now that you've done that, you can finally move on and go home."

Marik and Ishizu nod. "Pharaoh, Princess Emily, if you would like, we can lead you and your friends to the resting place of the seven Millennium Items." Atem knew Ishizu was talking about the Millennium Stone. "There is an inscription in the tomb of the Stone that reads as follows: 'To the spirit world thou may proceed, but first, thou must complete this deed. Return the Items whence they came and speak aloud the pharaoh's name'. If you are ready for your final task, allow us to be your guides to the shrine of the Millennium Stone."

They left the desert and returned to the city. Arrangements were made for the group to travel by boat. Kaiba didn't see what the point of it was and knew a plane would be quicker, but Joey didn't want to rush into it. That would mean having lesser time with the pharaoh. Kaiba understood and decided to proceed with traveling by boat. In ancient times, the Egyptians believed that boats were the only vessels capable of transporting spirits to the world beyond and that the spirit world was located in the west, where the sun sets. So the pharaoh ordered his court for this sanctuary to be built on an island west from Egypt.

"Ahoy, mateys!" A familiar voice called out. Everyone turned and saw Solomon, Téa, Tristan, Duke, Mokuba, and Rebecca on the dock and ready to board the ship. Yugi and the others were excited to see all of their friends. Now the gang was back together and better than ever. They wouldn't miss this adventure for the world.

"About time you got here," Duke scolded. "We've been bored out of our minds waiting for you guys to get here."

Emily apologized. "You know how it is when heroes like us have adventures."

Téa knew and she forgave her friend. "Well, the important thing is we're all together again."

Tristan agreed. "Ever since you guys left for Egypt, we heard these voices in our heads scolding us and asking us how could we miss out on this. So we decided to come out and join you. Mokuba and Rebecca got the same idea, so we decided to head out together."

Mokuba and Rebecca ran up to Kaiba and began hugging him. "You guys took off without telling anyone, so we tracked you down."

Kaiba chuckled. "I didn't know I had to report every move I would make to my little brother."

"Well, you should," Mokuba scolded. "Or else Rebecca and I are going to take over KaibaCorp and make you work for us."

"That's right," said Rebecca. "Moki and I are engaged, so you'd better start doing what we tell you to do."

Kaiba thought the kids were being ridiculous. He also thought the idea of his brother being engaged to this pipsqueak was preposterous. But he wasn't upset. He was happy to be back with his family. Mokuba saw him shuddering and asked what was wrong. Kaiba wraps his arms around his brother and hugs him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going away. But I'm back." Before Kaiba left, his ancestor told him to treasure every moment he would spend with his family because they would all be special to him. Kaiba promised to value that wisdom and everyone in his family; including his friends. He promised never to take any of them for granted.

Duke invited himself to come along because he was part of the gang too and deserved to take part in this adventure. "After everything we've been through, it would've been nice to get a phone call," he complained. Yugi apologized, but the dice prince understood. Everyone filled him in with all the details on the way. He even took the liberty of explaining things to everyone else Yugi forgot to call like Serenity, Rafael, Alister, Valon, and the rest of their friends.

Even Pegasus got the message and was thrilled. He stayed in the office of his company and looked out the window. "You've finally done it, Yugi boy. Everything I spent my life creating has been living up to this. From the moment I received the Millennium Eye and recreated the ancient Shadow Games in the form of Duel Monsters. The Great Goddess Millennia was guiding me to set the stage for the pharaoh's final journey home. But I wasn't the only one led by fate or even the Great Goddess herself. Every person the pharaoh met was destined to play a role in his journey. And I'm willing to bet most of them didn't even know it. But each individual, no matter how utterly clueless, was a piece necessary to complete the puzzle of the pharaoh's life. Whether they be beautiful princesses or warriors of legend, all of these people have one thing in common: each one is connected by one young boy named Yugi and the spirit of the pharaoh. Their destinies have also been controlled by the Great Goddess Millennia and the Dark Lord Cobalt. And not only did these individuals help Yugi, but in turn, each of their lives was touched by Yugi as well."

It was true. Everyone's destinies were controlled by the hands of fate. The Great Goddess and the Dark Lord influenced every one of their lives and brought them all together to learn and grow and become warriors.

They boat was setting course for the western lands. "I know I've said it a million times, but thanks for being here, guys," Yugi told his friends once again.

"We're in this together, Yugi," Kaiba was saying, "whether by fate or by choice."

"The destiny part, I understand, because you're a legendary hero," Téa was telling him, "but was that really your choice for taking part of this journey? You said it yourself that you didn't believe in destiny."

"I didn't, but now I do," Kaiba said truthfully. "Everyone here opened my eyes and my heart and for that, I'm grateful. And I really did want to take part in all of this like all of you. The pharaoh's my friend too."

Then Marik showed up. "Yugi, before we go any further, there's something you need to know about all this. There's another ancient passage inscribed above the Millennium Stone; it mentions a battle ritual. In order for the pharaoh to cross over into the spirit world, he must first face off against a worthy opponent in a battle and lose. In ancient times, this referred to a duel with swords. But today we have different methods. The kind of battle that must be played is a game of Duel Monsters," Marik explained.

Emily spoke up. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful, Marik, but I don't see what the challenge is in losing a duel."

"I do," Max suddenly said. "Winning a duel is easy for the pharaoh, but accepting defeat must be the greatest test of his character."

"You may have a point there, Max," Joey said in agreement. "But where are we going to find a duelist who's got what it takes to beat the pharaoh in a duel?" No one had any ideas, but there would be time to consider it once everyone would get to the island. For now, everyone decided to take it easy and enjoy the rest of the voyage.

Joey stared at the horizon and sighed. "You know, this boat ride really takes me back," Joey said and sighed. "Doesn't it seem like it was yesterday when we were all on a boat like this when our first journey began?"

Yugi agreed. "And we've all come a long way since then. We've all changed and grown up a little."

"And if given the chance, I could beat the pharaoh in a duel," Joey boasted. "I want a shot against him."

Yugi wasn't too sure. They played admirably against each other in Duelist Kingdom and Joey almost had it won, but Atem came through and defeated him. They also had their trial after the Battle City tournament. It wasn't about pride and this match would be based upon higher stakes. That was why he didn't want his best friend to take a chance.

Joey wasn't the only one. Kaiba wanted a shot against the pharaoh too. Yugi thought it was understandable. They had been rivals for years since their first duel. Plus, after all they've been through in the ancient past, it seemed just as reasonable for Kaiba to duel Atem. And just like before, he would be doing it to help his friend.

But Yugi wouldn't let Kaiba duel either. He already made up his mind. "I'm going to duel the pharaoh," he declared. "This duel will be a test for me too."

"You know, now that I think of it, out of all of Millennia's warriors, Yugi's the only one who hasn't yet had a chance to duel my father," Emily wondered. "So I guess it's fair that he should duel."

"That's not true, Briar," Kaiba reminded her. "You don't remember because you weren't there. You were still Dartz's prisoner at the time. But Yugi and the pharaoh have dueled each other before. And you know what, Yugi's right. This is important for him too. The pharaoh had to beat Yugi to conquer the darkness in his heart. Now Yugi must return the favor and do what the pharaoh did for him; help his friend and set him free."

Everyone was taken in by Kaiba's wisdom. It did make sense. But Kaiba still wanted to help his friends. He was impressed with the way Yugi faced the heir of Cobalt back in the tomb, but the pharaoh was going to be a whole new opponent and they would be facing each other with all new cards. Kaiba knew Yugi would need all the strength and support to win, so he opened his briefcase and presented Yugi with his collection of cards. "You know who you'll be up against, so you're going to need to build up a strong deck."

Yugi appreciated Kaiba's help, but kindly refused. He wanted to battle with a deck representing his own heart and soul. It seemed very fitting. Yugi and Atem had always been dueling with a deck they built together, but Yugi wanted to trust in himself for once. It was the trial he needed to see if he was ready to become his own person.

So that night, everyone began making preparations for tomorrow's big event. While Yugi was constructing his deck, Tea decided to stop by and check up on him. "I thought you'd like to know we'll be reaching our destination in the morning." Then she saw the cards on the table. "I guess you're getting ready for your duel with the pharaoh tomorrow, huh?"

Yugi nodded. "It's sort of like my final gift to him before he leaves us forever."

"I get it," Téa snapped. She quickly apologized. "I just don't want to see him go."

Yugi shakes his head and sighs. "Neither do I, but it's time for him to move on, Téa. Besides, if I win, then that means I'm ready to separate from him too."

Téa understood after thinking about all that everyone had been talking about this afternoon. She decided to wish Yugi well and let him get back to planning for tomorrow. Just thinking about it made her upset. She knew that as Atem's friend, she wanted what was best for him. But she loved him just as she loved all of her friends and couldn't think of him going away. That was why she secretly hoped that Yugi would lose tomorrow's duel.

As Yugi was looking through his cards, he began looking back to the beginning. _Before I solved the Millennium Puzzle, I was a completely different person: timid, shy, lonely, but ever since that day when the pharaoh and I joined together, I've inherited his courage and confidence. And if I win that duel tomorrow, I'll prove I'm ready to face the world on my own. All I have to do is remember everything the pharaoh taught me and I can do this._

Duke and Tristan found Joey sitting by himself outside. They hoped he wasn't still upset about not getting the chance to duel Atem. But it wasn't that. "Being on this boat has made me start thinking about the last few years of my life," he explained to his friends. "Let me tell you, a lot has changed for me since I met the pharaoh. He taught me that when the odds are against you, you have to keep fighting no matter what. But there's someone whose life he's change even more."

Duke and Tristan understood what he meant. Atem changed Yugi's life the most. That was why they agreed that Yugi had to be the one to duel the pharaoh.

Kaiba finished tucking Mokuba and Rebecca in. They both had separate beds and slept across from each other. He sat in his chair and began thinking. He knew that after all this time, the pharaoh was his real opponent and the real King of Games. He also knew that Yugi and Atem had always been facing every challenge together. He hoped that Yugi would find a way to stand against the one who had been guiding him and supporting him all the way. And he agreed that this last duel would be the most important duel of their lives. It would determine if Atem's purpose had been served and if Yugi was finally ready to become his own person. His heart had never felt so heavy about something like this until now. Kaiba and Atem were fierce rivals, but they were also good friends and had benefited from each other. Kaiba promised to value every moment they had been through together.

Max and Bakura were still eating to their heart's content. They felt like they hadn't had a decent meal in days. Bakura saw that Max had sauce on her lips and he used his napkin to wipe her mouth. He suddenly felt embarrassed about it and pulled his hand back. Max smiled and licked her lips. She even used her napkin to wipe Bakura's mouth in return. They both sighed and leaned on each other. They were happy to be together again and free from the wrath of the evil sprits.

Emily was outside too. She thought about stretching her wings, but she wasn't really in the mood to fly around. She instead faced the starry sky and began humming Millennia's lullaby. She remembered how the queen would always sing it to her every night before her spirit left the Millennium Star. Just thinking about everything made her sad. First she lost her mother as a child and now her father was going away for good. She felt like she was becoming an orphan. Although Emily was able to let her mother go, she knew letting her father go would be a very difficult task. It wasn't because they shared a bond that went back for five thousand years, but because Atem did something her father in this world was never able to do for her; be her friend. And being one of her best friends was what made Atem the best father Emily ever had.

Kaiba came outside and was about to stretch his wings too. But he found Emily standing by herself and heard her singing. He approached her and decided to talk to her. "Hey, Briar." Emily turned around and gave him her attention. "I'm surprised you actually remember that song."

"Mother sang it to me every night before her spirit left the Millennium Star," Emily told him.

The brunette sighed and smiled. "You know, your mother seemed like a really kind lady."

"You're right," she softly replied.

"Are you glad you got to meet her?"

Emily was glad and she was also thankful she got to know Mystery. "I know it was once and only for a brief moment, but it's more than enough to be thankful for. Her spirit may no longer live inside the Millennium Star, but she's not gone from my heart."

Kaiba sets his hand on her shoulder. "You have a big heart, Briar. You know, when I met the queen, I felt like I was reuniting with my mother for the first time in years too. I think Yugi and Joey felt the same way too. Our mothers are in our hearts."

Emily smiles at Kaiba and places her hand over his. "But I still miss her. And I'm going to miss my father as much. It was hard for me to let my mom go after I lost her and it's going to be just as hard for me to let him go too. I know it's for the best, but I love him too much."

Kaiba sighed. "I guess love is complicated even for the hero of love."

"It sure is," Emily said in agreement.

"Briar, your father is a great man and he loves you too. And you know as well as I do that he'll never be gone from your heart. I guess he was like a father to all of us as well as a friend. And I'll never be able to thank him enough for all that he's done for me."

"Me neither. I wish I could give back all that he's done for me."

Then Kaiba thought of something. "Briar, do you remember when you used the Millennium Star and how we thought we almost lost you forever?" Emily did remember and she nodded. "I didn't realize how much you meant to me until you came back. Now I feel the same way for all of our friends. And I know that no matter what happens, none of our friends will ever be gone forever; not even your parents. So really, the pharaoh's going to be with you your whole life. Your mother still is."

Emily dries her eyes and asks, "Do you really believe that?"

"I do," the brunette answered. "And this is wisdom that's coming from my heart, not from my head."

"Thank you, Seto," the blonde says and begins hugging him.

Kaiba holds her and strokes his fingers through her hair. "It's okay, Emily."

After spending hours going through his cards, Yugi finally finished constructing his deck. Atem finally emerged. He had been distancing himself from Yugi so he wouldn't be able to look through his cards and think of any plans to overwhelm Yugi. That would be considered cheating. Now it was Atem's turn to build his deck for their duel.

This was going to be the toughest duel any of them had ever faced. For Yugi, winning the duel meant saying 'goodbye' to his closest friend. Atem felt like every duel he and Yugi fought and every opponent they faced was preparing them for this last trial.

Finally, the dawn had broken and Atem had finished constructing his deck. Now he and Yugi were ready. The boat made it to the island and everyone was ready to head out.


	23. The Final Duel

The Final Duel

It wasn't a big island, but it still took a while for the group to reach their destination. Finally, the Ishtars brought them to the shrine of the Millennium Stone. The thought about Yugi and Atem dueling was making everybody anxious. When Téa stopped walking, everyone asked her if she was all right. She shared her thoughts about the whole event once more. "Why do we have to rush into this so soon? This could be our final chance to hang out with the pharaoh before he leaves us for good."

All of her friends began having second thoughts about the matter too after she mentioned her concerns. Ishizu spoke and said, "I know how difficult this must be, but Yugi and the pharaoh must carry out this battle ritual as quickly as possible. If too much time should pass, our window of opportunity will close."

Max sets her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "We all know how you feel, Téa, but this is what's best for the pharaoh. He doesn't belong in our world and now his spirit finally has a chance to go home."

Téa places her hand over Max's and thanks her. "You're right. Let's do this."

"I probably don't say this as often as I should, but you're one of the bravest people I've ever met," Emily confessed. "Everyone here is for being together for this last duel." Everyone thanked her for her kind words and continued their path down the stairs.

Finally, they came to the resting place of the seven Millennium Items and the gateway to the world beyond. Yugi walked up to the arc with his duffle and took out all of the Items. "Before the ritual can begin, the seven treasures of the Great Goddess must return to the Stone from whence they came," Ishizu told him. "The Eye of Wadjet will then peer into your soul, Yugi, thus unraveling the pharaoh's spirit from your own. If you accept the terms of this ritual, I shall ask you to place the Millennium Items into the Stone."

Yugi did accept the terms of the ritual. One by one, he began returning the Items starting with the Eye, followed by the Key, then the Scale, the Rod, the Necklace, the Ring, and finally, the Puzzle. _The Great Goddess Millennia granted my wish_ , Yugi wondered, _and now I'm ready to give back her Puzzle._

Just as Ishizu said, with all of Millennia's treasures back into their resting place, the Eye of Wadjet began gazing into Yugi's spirit. Looking down, everyone saw Yugi's shadow splitting into two. Atem and Yugi were separating into their own beings.

"I'm seeing double," said Bakura.

"No, it's the pharaoh," Max told him.

Kaiba's eyes widened. "Atem," he whispered.

Yugi and Atem walked and took their positions for the duel. "So who are we supposed to root for?" Rebecca asked.

Mokuba takes his girlfriend's hand. "We've gotta root for Yugi, Bec." They had to be strong for all of their friends now. They wanted what was best for Atem and that was for him to finally be free and move on.

This was the first time that Atem had ever hoped for his opponent's victory. But in order for the battle to truly determine if he and Yugi are truly ready to separate, then they have to give it their all and fight their hardest. And now that they were apart, they could no longer sense each other's thoughts. Even Emily couldn't read their thoughts anymore either and neither of them could hear hers. But they still felt connected somehow.

"Are you ready for this?" Atem asked.

"That's what we're here to find out," Yugi answered.

"Let's duel!" Yugi and Atem declare.

Atem makes the first move. He sends a card to his graveyard to summon the Tricky, a spellcaster with 2000 attack points. To end his turn, he plays a card face down. Yugi plays Swords of Revealing Light to protect himself from all enemy attacks for three turns. After that, he summons Green Gadget, a machine with 1400 attack points. Its special ability allowed Yugi to transfer Red Gadget from his deck to his hand. He ends his turn by playing a card face down.

The Swords of Revealing Light only prevented Atem from attacking with his monsters. They didn't prohibit him from using Yugi's own monsters against him. The pharaoh takes advantage of the matter by playing a magic card called Rebellion, forcing Green Gadget to attack Yugi directly. Yugi revealed his trap card. It was a trap monster called Stronghold the Moving Fortress. A tank of a machine appeared on the field with 2000 defense points and stopped Green Gadget's attack. But because Green Gadget was Yugi's monster, he still lost life points because of the difference between Green Gadget's attack points and Stronghold's defense points. So he lost 600 life points.

The duel had only just started, but Yugi and Atem noticed that they were playing with cards they never had in their deck before. That made the both of them wonder what other surprises would be in store. It was Yugi's turn again and he played Ties of the Brethren, a magic card that allowed Yugi to play two level four monsters for the price of a thousand life points. So he summoned Red Gadget and Yellow Gadget in defense mode. Now that they were on the field with Green Gadget, Yugi could join his Gadgets together with Stronghold and raise its attack points to 3000. Stronghold was about to attack with its Steel Gear Crush, but the effects of the Swords of Revealing Light got transferred over to Yugi's side of the field thanks to Atem's Bounce Spell magic card. Unable to attack, Yugi keeps his Gadgets in defense mode and ends his turn.

Atem sends his monster to the graveyard to activate a magic card called Tricky Spell 4, allowing him to summon four Tricky tokens, equal to the number of monsters Yugi had in play. Everyone knew what this was about. The pharaoh was going to sacrifice his tokens. And he did. He sacrificed three of his tokens to summon Obelisk the Tormentor. Obelisk attacked and destroyed Stronghold, leaving Yugi with 1400 life points and his three Gadgets. To end his turn, Atem plays a card face down.

But Yugi quickly got back on his feet and smiled. This confused all of the spectators. He wasn't trying to lose on purpose, was he? That was what Bakura wondered. But Joey knew the true meaning behind it. Yugi was having the duel of his life. Usually, he watched from the sidelines, but now he was in a duel where he was controlling his own actions and he was proving his own strength to the one who always stood by him. Yugi plays three cards face down and summons Silent Swordsman at level zero. Joey and Kaiba recognized that monster and remembered how it helped their friend to defeat the heir of Cobalt.

Atem plays a card face down and activates Card of Sanctity, letting him and Yugi draw until they have six cards in their hands. He commanded Obelisk to attack Silent Swordsman, but Yugi was ready. He revealed a trap called Ground Erosion and the magic card Turn Jump. Now the game would move ahead three turns and Silent Swordsman would jump three levels and all attacks would be stopped. And since Yugi played Ground Erosion, Obelisk would lose 500 attack points for each passing turn. And since three turns passed, Obelisk became 1500 attack points weaker. Now both monsters were equal in attack points.

But Atem had played a trap card as well. It was Summoning Clock. All he had to do was remove his trap card and his last token and he could summon a monster for each turn that had passed. And since three turns had passed, the pharaoh could summon three monsters. So he called forth King's Knight and Queen's Knight, letting him automatically summon Jack's Knight. Since Jack's Knight was specially summoned, it didn't count as Atem's third monster. So he was permitted to summon one more and he chose Slifer the Sky Dragon. Since the pharaoh was holding three cards in his hand, the divine Dragon had 3000 attack points. Yugi revealed another trap card. It was called Ambush Shield and he used it to transfer Red Gadget's defense points to Silent Swordsman's attack points, giving him 4000 attack points for the duration of the turn.

It was still Atem's turn, so he had King's Knight and Queen's Knight attack Yugi's two remaining Gadgets. Now that his royal Knights had served their purpose, Atem was ready to sacrifice them and summon his last Egyptian God card. He recited the ancient chant and the Winged Dragon of Ra came to the field with 5000 attack points.

Everyone watching was awestruck. Mokuba and Rebecca tightly held each other, Max gasped and grasped Bakura's hand, and Téa held Emily close. But this was the true test behind it all. Atem wanted Yugi to face all three Egyptian Gods. And now that he had regained his memories, he was stronger than ever. The pharaoh still wasn't done yet. He played Pot of Greed to draw two cards from his deck.

"How's Yugi going to get out of this mess?"

"I don't know, Becky," Mokuba answered. "Even though Yugi's trap card weakened Obelisk, he still has 2500 attack points. And the pharaoh can sacrifice two monsters to raise his attack points to infinity."

"And don't forget Slifer," his brother mentioned. "Its Lightning Blast will deal 2000 points of damage to any monster Yugi summons to the field."

"And finally, we have the Winged Dragon of Ra," Emily concluded. "It's the most dangerous of all and has many powers and abilities like Instant Attack and Point-to-Point Transfer and the power to transform into Egyptian God Phoenix."

"And now that all three Egyptian Gods are on the field, I'm afraid Yugi doesn't have a chance of winning," said Kaiba.

Then Max thought of something. "Marik, you know more about the Egyptian God cards than any of us do. Maybe you can tell us their weaknesses."

But even he wasn't too sure. "Well, individually, they have drawbacks. But when they're together, they're practically indestructible."

"This can only be determined by fate," said his elder sister. "If Yugi is unable to defeat the pharaoh, it will prove that they are not yet ready to separate. If this occurs, the pharaoh will be trapped here for another five thousand years."

"That's not fair," Emily protested. Téa agreed, but she was also confused. She wanted Atem to stay, but she didn't want it to mean being against his will.

Kaiba tried to think of the benefit of the doubt. "Hey, Pharaoh," he called to his friend. "If you end up having to stick around for another lifetime or two, there is a bright side to it. You and I can have one more duel for old time's sake. And by the looks of this duel, it looks to me like you won't be going anywhere."

"That remains to be seen," Atem told him.

"Besides, I thought you'd like the chance to watch me lose," Yugi reminded him. The brunette corrected him by saying he would only enjoy the opportunity if he was the one beating Yugi in a duel.

Emily approached Kaiba. "Kaiba, we owe it to my father to be present for this duel. We share a bond with him that goes back five thousand years and he's done so much for every single one of us. Our family ties have lasted through the tests of time. If my father loses, we should at least stick around to say 'goodbye'. You know as well as I do that the Egyptian God cards are powerful, but not unbeatable. And Yugi knows it too and he's going to find a way to defeat them."

The brunette seemed a little convinced at that last statement. He even saw Yugi nod at her words. Kaiba grinned and decided to keep watching the duel. "Then this I gotta see." He really did want to stay anyway. He wanted to see Yugi prove his own strength.

Atem could sense that Yugi was trying hard to prove his strength and that he was ready to face the world on his own. But he could also sense a spark of fear in his soul. So he decided to offer a few words of encouragement. "Yugi, I believe fate brought us together so that you could learn to trust in yourself and be the warrior you truly are within and so that I could learn from you."

"You know what," Emily wondered. "What my father's saying makes a lot of sense. It's kind of like the time he and I dueled back in the KC Grand Championship."

"I wouldn't be who I am without you," continued Atem. "And I thought about everything you taught me when I was building my deck."

Yugi said he felt the same way. "You taught me about bravery and having self-confidence when all hope seems lost. And I thought about that with every card I picked."

"And you taught me about friendship and having compassion for others," Atem returned. "In Duelist Kingdom, you taught me that there are things in life that are more important than winning such as considering the safety of a friend. Each of us has given the other a gift."

"Like bravery."

"And kindness, sympathy, and heart."

Yugi was amazed. Even though their minds are separate, they maintain each other's strengths and those strengths are represented in their decks. In many ways, Yugi and his ancestor were evenly matched. And it was enough encouragement to keep him going.

Silent Swordsman jumped from level three to level four and gained 500 attack points. Yugi sends his three Magnet Warriors to the graveyard to summon Valkyrion in attack mode, activating Slifer's Lightning Blast and causing it to lose 2000 attack points. But Yugi activated Mirage Spell, causing Slifer's Lighting Blast to instead raise Yugi's life points by 2000. To end his turn, Yugi plays two cards face down. He didn't want to risk attacking with either of his monsters. That was too dangerous right now. Even he knew that a careless and hasty attack on an Egyptian God card could cost him the duel.

Atem noticed that Yugi left his monsters in attack mode and wondered if he wanted him to attack. The pharaoh drew his card and now had a hand full of four cards, giving his Sky Dragon 4000 attack points. Slifer attacked Silent Swordsman with his Thunderforce and Ra attacked the Magnet Warrior, leaving Yugi with 900 life points.

Kaiba couldn't take it anymore. "Yugi, this would be a good time for your strategy," he cried.

And Yugi was ready. Before Obelisk could attack him directly, he revealed his trap card Mirage Veil. Yugi's monsters returned to the field and he recovered the life points he lost. But Yugi still had to pay up a thousand life points, so now he had 2400 points remaining.

Bakura wiped his brow and sighed of relief. The excitement was making him sweat. "That was too close for comfort. You okay, love?" He asked Max.

Max nodded and sighed. "I almost thought the pharaoh had him."

"We all feel the same way," said Emily. "The excitement won't end. I can feel the rush of adrenaline and my heart racing. And I bet Yugi and my father feel the same way."

Téa sighed as well. "Thank goodness." Then she gasped at what she just said. _When did I start cheering for Yugi_? She asked because she realized she had been cheering for the pharaoh all these years.

Kaiba tried to keep it together, but the adrenaline was running for him too. Yugi saved himself, now he needed to figure out the weaknesses of the Egyptian God cards. And that was something not even Kaiba himself knew. All he could do was watch and pray for his friend.

The suspense was beginning to take its toll on Ishizu too. Something inside was telling her that Yugi was going to make a comeback on his next turn. "You know, something I never thought about before occurred to me just now. Maybe fate chose Yugi as the vessel for the pharaoh's spirit not because he needed the pharaoh, but because he is a direct descendant of the pharaoh and is equal to him in every way. They were brought together because they represent missing qualities of the same soul."

"But they're so-"

But Ishizu cut her brother off and asked, "What? They're so different from one another because Yugi's shy and the pharaoh's assertive and confident? Just as I said, they each had a quality that the other one needed to learn from each other."

"Hold on, are you saying they're complete now?" Marik wondered. Ishizu wasn't sure how to answer except to just leave everything to fate.

Yugi looked down at the face down card Atem still had on the field and wondered why he hadn't activated it yet. Then Yugi realized that he hadn't tried attacking ever since his opponent played that last card. That made Yugi wonder if the face down card was Mirror Force. If his guess was correct, then he would need to play the right cards. So he drew his card and his Silent Swordsman jumped to level five. Next, he decided to activate Valkyrion's special ability and sacrifice it to bring back the three Magnet Warriors in its place. Of course, this in turn activated Slifer's Lightning Blast, but Yugi knew what he was doing. He revealed a trap card called Magnet Force. Now whenever any rock or machine-type monsters like the Magnet Warriors are targeted by the effect of an opponent's monster, it gets reflected right back. Slifer's Lightning Blast got redirected back to the Egyptian Gods and weakened them by 2000 attack points.

As Silent Swordsman was charging in to attack, Atem activated his face down card. As Yugi anticipated, it was Mirror Force and he was ready. He still lost his monsters, but activating the Mirror Force trap was all part of his plan. He played a magic card called Magic Reverse, allowing him to revive his Valkyrion in defense mode. Slifer's Lightning Blast activated once again, but Magnet Force was still in play, so the attack was redirected to Obelisk and the divine beast was destroyed. It was now time to destroy the divine Dragons. So Valkyrion disassembled back into the three Magnet Warriors and Slifer's Lightning Blast activated and got redirected once again, destroying the divine Dragons.

None of the spectators could believe what they just saw. Yugi really did have a plan to destroy the three Egyptian God cards. "Did you see that?" Bakura asked.

Max nodded. "He beat all three Egyptian God cards in one turn."

Joey smiled. "I never expected any less from you, Yugi."

Mokuba and Rebecca danced around and cheered. "He did it, he did it," they said in sing-song. "He's better than the pharaoh." They laughed and put their eyes back on the duel.

"No offense, of course," said Mokuba.

Kaiba stared with wide eyes. "This is incredible," he said softly. "Yugi had fewer life points, but he came up with an unprecedented strategy to defeat all three Egyptian God cards at once. I've never seen anything like that before. I was wrong about everything." He raised his voice and told his friend, "Yugi, you truly are the King of Games."

Yugi was surprised at what Kaiba said. "You really mean that?"

In answer, the brunette smiled and winked and gave him a thumbs up.

Yugi smiled and thanked his friend. "You know, the funny thing is I could never have destroyed those monsters without your help, Pharaoh," Yugi told his opponent. "You see, all the battles we've been through together taught me something. Defeating something with a strong force has to be done by using that force against them. So I figured out that the only way to defeat the Egyptian God cards was to take them down with their own power and that's exactly what I just did."

Atem was amazed and proud. "Excellent work, Yugi. By trusting your instincts, you were able to overcome the seemingly impossible. You destroyed the most powerful creatures in Duel Monsters. But remember, that doesn't mean that you've won the game."

Yugi knew and agreed that he still had a way to go before the duel was over.


	24. The Time Has Come

The Time Has Come

Atem was proud of Yugi for his efforts, but destroying the Egyptian Gods was just one test. This duel had many more trials. It was the pharaoh's turn again. He played Polymerization to merge Gazelle and Berfomet together to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast. Chimera attacked and destroyed Alpha the Magnet Warrior. It wasn't so bad because the Magnet Warrior was in defense mode and Yugi received no damage.

Yugi sacrificed Beta and Gamma to summon Buster Blader. The warrior attacked Chimera and dealt 500 points of damage to Atem. But destroying Chimera activated its special ability, allowing the pharaoh to resurrect one of the two monsters used to create it. He chose to revive Berfomet in defense mode. But it wouldn't be staying on the field for long. Atem sacrificed it to summon his Archfiend of Gilfer in defense mode. To end his turn, he plays a card face down.

Yugi knew that attacking the Archfiend would activate its special ability, but it was a risk he was going to have to take. So he played a card face down and sent his Buster Blader to attack the Archfiend of Gilfer. Sending the Archfiend to the graveyard weakened Buster Blader by 500 attack points, leaving him with 2100 attack points. There was nothing left for Yugi to do at this time, so he ended his turn.

Atem played a card face down and activated a magic card called Awakening from Beyond. Now Yugi would be permitted to draw two cards from his deck and Atem would be permitted to transfer one card from his graveyard to his hand. Everyone thought he was going to bring back one of the Egyptian God cards, but Atem had another surprise in store. The card he chose was the monster he sent to the graveyard on his first turn. It was Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight. Though it was a level seven monster, Atem was permitted to summon Gaia without making a sacrifice because it was the only card in his hand.

The way it turned out, the pharaoh felt it in his heart that Yugi would be able to destroy the Egyptian God cards, so he needed to build up his arsenal. Something in his heart told him that they would get this far in their duel. And Yugi did manage to defeat the most powerful monsters in the game. But the duel was not yet won and there were still many more trials left to face.

Gaia attacked Buster Blader with his Spiral Lance Thrust and dealt 200 points of damage to Yugi's life points. Yugi revealed his trap card Soul Rope. For the price of a thousand life points, Yugi could summon a monster from his deck to take his warrior's place. The monster he chose was Witch of the Black Forest and he summoned her to the field in defense mode. The Witch wouldn't provide much defense, but Yugi could still use her. He sacrificed her to bring forth his Summoned Skull. Sacrificing the Witch of the Black Forest also activated her special ability, allowing Yugi to transfer a monster from his deck to his hand. The monster he chose was Marshmallon.

This was amazing. Two of the most powerful monsters Yugi had ever played in a duel were now head-to-head against each other. Summoned Skull attacked and destroyed Gaia with his Lightning Strike and the pharaoh lost 200 life points. Atem had never felt so excited or even challenged like this before. Just when he thought the duel was going back in his favor, Yugi was keeping the match in his control. They were always supporting each other, now they had become each other's greatest opponent. And they would continue to give it their all in this duel.

The duel was starting to get more unreal. Without looking at the card he drew, Atem called out the name of the monster he summoned to the field. It was Big Shield Gardna. Marik knew that the draw had nothing to do with luck and that the pharaoh knew what card he was about to draw. But the pharaoh didn't predict what his card was going to be. Ishizu told everyone that it was an act of willpower. She said his determination to win was so strong; it allowed him to influence fate. But fate seemed almost impossible to be controlled by mortal strength. Then again, the pharaoh wasn't exactly mortal like the rest of his friends.

Yugi played Pot of Greed and drew two cards from his deck. Quickly, he summoned Watapon and sacrificed it to summon Curse of Dragon. Summon Skull attacked Big Shield Gardna. It costed Yugi 100 life points for attacking a monster whose defense points were stronger, but this in turn activated Big Shield Gardna's special ability, switching it to attack mode. And since it only had 100 attack points, Curse of Dragon would be able to deal 1900 points of damage.

The score stood with Yugi having 1100 life points and the pharaoh having 1400 life points. The matched looked pretty close and it was clearly anyone's game. But everyone shared their agreements that Yugi had the match won based on all of the impressive turnarounds he was making.

Thinking about Yugi winning made Téa feel upset again. She turned around and looked away. "I can't watch anymore. If the pharaoh loses, this is the last time we'll ever see him. I'm not so sure about you guys, but I'm not ready to say 'goodbye' yet. Please make them stop," she sobbed.

Emily takes her best friend's hand. "This isn't easy for any of us, Téa. But the duel must continue. And you know as well as I do that none of us have the power to stop it. We couldn't do it if we wanted to."

"Remind me why," Téa softly demanded.

Joey decided to tell her. "Because everything that's happened ever since those two met has been leading up to this. Just think about it. Every single duel that Yugi and the pharaoh have faced together has been preparing them for this. Every enemy they ever fought, every strategy they ever planned, and every friend they ever saved helped shape who they are today. And now they need this test to see how far they've come."

"But why?" Téa asked.

"Because when they first met, they had a long to learn and they needed each other to get by," Kaiba answered. "All of us did. None of us would be who we are without Yugi or the pharaoh. They never gave up on each other and they never gave up on any of us. And it's because of those two that we're all here together and we are who we are today. And hopefully by now, they'll be ready to move on."

Joey agreed. "This duel is really for the best. As tough as it may seem, we need to cheer for Yugi and the pharaoh all the way."

Listening to everyone's words, Téa dries her eyes and agrees to continue watching the duel.

Atem looked down at his deck. He could sense the presence of an old friend. He played Dark Magic Curtain and gave up half of his life points to call upon that very same friend. "Behold one of my most faithful friends and a once son of Millennia: Dark Magician!" After that, he played Book of Secret Arts to raise the Magician's power by 300 attack points.

Yugi had a feeling that he would be facing his most favorite monster in this duel. This would be one of the toughest trials in the game. Yugi knew he would have to fight his favorite monster to set his closest friend free. Dark Magician attacked and destroyed Summoned Skull, causing Yugi to lose 300 life points.

Dark Magician spoke to Atem. "My pharaoh, I have journeyed five thousand years across time and space to serve you in this battle."

Emily gasped as she heard the Dark Magician speak.

Max faces her and asks, "Are you okay, Emily?"

She lies and tells her she's fine and she just felt a chill. _Dark Magician, your voice is so familiar to me. You sound like an old friend_. Then scenes of the ancient past began flashing before her eyes. Dark Magician was an old friend to her, but not as Dark Magician. She looked at the mage again and could have sworn she saw him smiling at her.

His thoughts voiced through her head. _"Hello, Princess Emily."_

Emily gasped once more and tears began to fill her eyes. "Mahad?" she silently asked.

Yugi plays a monster in defense mode and switches Curse of Dragon to defense mode to protect his life points. Atem had a feeling that Yugi's hidden monster was Marshmallon and knew the dangers it posed. He had to be careful. He played Thousand Knives to strike and destroy Marshmallon. Because the monster was destroyed by a magic card, Marshmallon's abilities were negated. Dark Magician attacked and destroyed Curse of Dragon.

Yugi had to find a way to stand against the Dark Magician. For now, all he could do was summon Blockman in defense mode and play a card face down. Atem equipped his Dark Magician with the Dark Spear, giving him the ability to subtract the difference between his attack points and Blockman's defense points from Yugi's life points. But it wouldn't work. Yugi activated his Soul Shield trap card. For the price of half of his life points, Yugi was able to negate Dark Magician's attack and end Atem's battle phase. It was Yugi's turn once again. He played a magic card called Gold Sarcophagus. All he had to do was choose a card from his deck and place it in the case. That card would be prohibited from being used by both players in the game.

Looking closely, everyone saw that the Gold Sarcophagus looked exactly like the case that contained the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. The symbol that brought them together was going to be the same symbol that would bring them apart.

Blockman had the ability to deconstruct depending on the number of turns that passed. Since two turns passed, Blockman split into two pieces. Yugi sacrificed his two monsters to summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction. Joey and Kaiba recognized that Dragon. It was Gandora that led Yugi to victory against the heir of Cobalt. Would it lead him to victory against the pharaoh? There was only one way to find out. Yugi gave up half of his life points to activate Gandora's ability of Boundless Giga Rays and destroy the Dark Magician.

But it wouldn't work this time. Atem activated a trap called Dark Illusion. Now Dark Magician would escape and Gandora would only end up destroying itself. But the trap card permitted Yugi to draw a card from his deck. Yugi drew his card and played it face down with his second card. He ended his turn with two cards face down and an empty hand.

Dark Magician was about to attack Yugi directly, but he revealed his Magician's Circle trap card. Now Dark Magician would be forced to stop his attack and both players would have to summon a Magician to the field. Yugi summoned Silent Magician and Atem summoned Dark Magician Girl.

Emily gasped once more. Two of her friends from her ancient past were together again and ready to fight the boy she loved.

Dark Magician was about to try and attack again, but Yugi was ready. He played a magic card called Spell Textbook. Now he had to send every card in his hand to the graveyard and draw one card and if it was a magic card, he could play it right away. Yugi prayed for the Heart of the Cards to see him through. He had nothing to lose since he had an empty hand and his prayers were heard as he drew Card of Sanctity from his deck and played it. Now he and Atem had full hands and since the pharaoh drew five cards from his deck, Silent Magician jumped to level five and gained 2500 attack points. Atem played Magicians Unite so his Magicians could combine their strength for a 3000 point attack, but it still wasn't enough. Both Dark Magicians got caught in the blast and were destroyed, leaving Atem with 200 life points remaining.

It saddened Emily to see the two Magicians end up being destroyed. But the rest of this match was going to get harder for her and for the rest of the spectators.

This was going to be the last turn of the duel. Both players had 200 life points and the end was near. "You fought bravely, Yugi," Atem was saying. "Fortunately, this duel will conclude with my victory. Thank you, Yugi. I know you tried everything in your power to set me free." He plays Monster Reborn to revive his Sky Dragon from the field with 4000 attack points. _My spirit shall remain in this world. I guess Yugi and I weren't destined to separate._

The duel was over, but not for Yugi. He knew this would happen. He knew the pharaoh would plan on using Monster Reborn to revive one of the Egyptian God cards. It was now time to activate the power of his Gold Sarcophagus. The card he placed inside was Monster Reborn. Now neither he nor Atem could use it. This meant that Slifer had to return to the graveyard.

Atem couldn't have been more proud of Yugi. His partner and descendant had surpassed him by playing this card. The duel was over for the pharaoh. _This was the greatest duel of my life. It's been an honor, Yugi,_ he wondered proudly. He faced his opponent and saw him in tears. "Go on, your move."

Yugi stood still shuddering and crying. "I don't get it," Rebecca was saying. "What's Yugi waiting for? All Yugi has to do is attack and it's over."

"That's just it," Mokuba tells her. "Once the match comes to an end, the pharaoh's spirit will be set free. I know it's what everyone wants and knows is for the best, but it hurts."

Atem gave Yugi an assuring look and promised him it was all right. _Proceed, Yugi._

Yugi released his tears and declared his attack. "All right, Silent Magician, attack his life points directly!" And the mage unleashed her Silent Burning on Atem, reducing his life points to zero and ending the duel. The holograms faded and Yugi fell on his knees, letting the tears fall to the floor.

Atem approached his descendant. "Congratulations, well done." Yugi said nothing. He continued crying. Atem set his hand on his shoulder. "Yugi, a champion doesn't belong on his knees. You achieved a great victory for us both."

But Yugi didn't feel like he was deserving of words of praise. "I was focusing so hard on winning the game that I forgot what winning this duel would actually mean. By defeating you, I've sent you away for good."

"No, you have opened the door for me. Thanks to you, my spirit can finally be at rest once again. I'll be back where I belong. Fate brought the two of us together for a reason and we fulfilled our destiny." They both stand up and Atem continues by saying, "We protected mankind from the return of the Shadow Games and ensured that Millennia's wishes will continue to be fulfilled," he paused, then added, "and we've both grown tremendously along the way. You have a lot to be proud of as a hero of courage and a true son of Millennia."

"I'm going to miss you, Pharaoh," Yugi sobbed.

"You do realize we'll never truly be apart, don't you," he asked his descendant. "The gift of kindness that you've given me and the courage I've passed down to you will always be with us and that will forever bind us together."

The Eye of Wadjet began glowing. The gateway to the world beyond would finally open now that the battle ritual was complete and the pharaoh was free. "The time has arrived," Ishizu told Atem. "Tell your name to the Eye of Wadjet."

The pharaoh approached the gate and identified himself. "I am the son of King Aknamkanon, the husband of Queen Mystery, and the father of Princess Emily. My name is Atem."

The gates began opening, but before the pharaoh could pass, all of his friends cried out to him. "Don't go," Téa pleaded.

"So this is how it ends," Kaiba asks him. "You think you can just show up and change everybody's lives and just leave?"

"He means we don't want to say 'goodbye'," Tristan corrected.

"Exactly," Téa said in agreement. "I know walking through that door means your spirit will be set free and it's all for the best, but it doesn't seem fair. I mean, I feel like we were all just getting to know you! In fact, you were just getting to know yourself!"

"Father!" Emily cried out. She ran up to Atem and wrapped her arms around him and began crying. "We've been apart for so long looking for each other without even knowing it. We came back together and learned just as much from each other. In the ancient past, you and I just met and were only getting to know each other. And it was the exact same way five thousand years later." She eases her grip and faces him with tears. "The more time I spent with you, the more our bond grew and the more I loved you. By being one of the best friends I ever had, you were also the father I never had."

Atem softly held his daughter for the last time. "I know," he said softly. "And I feel the same way. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. You were a real blessing back then and now. And I'm proud to have been your father and your friend."

Emily sniffles and tells him, "I know. That's why I can't be selfish. It wasn't easy for you or Mother to let me go, but it was for the best. You did it so I could live long and have a future."

"And our wish came true," Atem tells her. "Look at yourself, Emily. I was able to see my daughter grow up and become an extraordinary young lady. You're beautiful just like your mother and as your father and your friend, I'm proud of what you've become. I know I wasn't always a parent. But spending time with you helped me to realize it was what I was always meant to be."

"I'll never be able to thank you enough for all that you've given me or all that you've done," Emily sobbed. "But I have to let you go because it's the right thing to do. We all have to move on and continue our futures."

Atem nods in agreement. "And I know you already know this, Emily," he tells her as he dries her eyes, "but your mother loved you very much."

They face each other and smile as tears continue to fill their eyes. Emily hugs her father once again and says quietly, "I love you, Papa."

"I love you, Emily," he whispered. "I always have and I always will." He releases her and plants one last kiss on her brow. They look back and face the rest of their friends. "This is where you belong now. And I know you'll be happy. Emily, there's something I want you to promise me."

"Anything, Father," she whispered.

He holds her hands in his and says, "I want you and Yugi to take care of each other now."

Emily sobs once more. "I promise, Father. And when you see Mother again, you'll say 'hi' to her for me, right, and give her my love?"

"Of course I will," he promised his daughter.

Thinking about everything that was going on, Emily began singing a meaningful song and memories began flashing before her eyes.

 _I close my eyes and I can see the day we met_

 _Just one moment and I knew you're my best friend_

 _Do anything for you_

 _We've gone so far and done so much_

 _And I feel like we've always been together_

 _Right by my side, through thick and thin_

 _You're the part of my life I'll always remember_

 _The time has come_

 _It's for the best, I know it_

 _Who could have guessed that you and I_

 _Somehow, someday, we'd have to say 'goodbye'_

Yugi joined in and began singing too. _You've helped me find the strength inside_

 _And the courage to make my dreams come true_

 _How will I find another friend like you?_

 _Two of a kind, that's what we are_

 _And it seems like we were always winning_

 _But as our team is torn apart_

 _I wish we could go back to the beginning_

Then Kaiba, Joey, Tristan, and Téa began singing along. _The time has come_

 _It's for the best, I know it_

 _Who could have guessed that you and I_

 _Somehow, some way, we'd have to say 'goodbye'_

 _Somehow, today, we'd have to say 'goodbye',_ Emily finished, and her hands slowly slip free from her father's. She steps back and rejoins her friends. Kaiba's heart began racing. Whenever he thought he had Emily figured out, she surprised him even more. For all that Emily had gone through and all that she had struggled to endure, her heart still gets the better of her. That made the brunette assume that Emily was the bravest, strongest, and wisest friend he ever had.

"This isn't fair!" Téa protested. "I know this is best for you, but it's so hard to lose your best friend when you don't understand why it even has to be that way!" she said as she continued crying.

"I guess there are some things we're not supposed to understand," said Joey. "Look at me, I go through half my life not understanding what's going on. But as the hero of friendship, I know everything there is to know and value about being friends. So here's my wisdom: true friends are hard to leave, but they're impossible to forget. And even though the pharaoh's stay wasn't for as long as we would've liked, it's still enough to be thankful for."

 _Thank you, Joey,_ Atem wondered.

Kaiba releases his tears. "Hey, Pharaoh," he called to his friend. The pharaoh turned around and gave him his attention. "Don't worry about Yugi or Emily. I'll take care of them from now on."

"Me too," Joey promised. "Millennia's heroes have to stay together."

"Thank you," he said out loud.

Kaiba shakes his head. "No, Atem, thank _you_ , for everything. It's been a real thrill."

"And the truth is, you won't be going anywhere," Joey added. "Because everything you've given us stays right here in our hearts!"

Atem nodded. "Right."

"Like we always say: it's your move," Yugi said and gave him a thumbs up. Atem returned the gesture and began walking through the gate. As he was passing through, he saw all of his friends and family waiting to welcome him home. And just like that, Atem began disappearing into the light.

 _Goodbye, Atem_ , Joey wondered, _and good luck._

The gates began to seal themselves and Téa wanted to run up to them, but Joey stopped her and shook his head. Yugi let the tears flow again. "Goodbye, Pharaoh," he whispered as the gates finally sealed themselves. Mokuba held Rebecca as she cried with her face buried in his chest. Bakura placed his hand on Max's shoulder and she placed her hand over his and sighed. Emily began crying harder with her face in her hands.

"Hey, guys," Kaiba was saying to Yugi and Emily, but the entire place began to crumble. Yugi and Emily saw the Millennium Stone crumbling. When it did, the Millennium Items began to fall into the depths of the earth. Kaiba grabbed their hands and told them to hurry. "We can't stay, let's go," he cried and pulled them away.

Everyone managed to get outside as the shrine continued to collapse. "Now that the pharaoh's spirit has crossed over into the spirit world, the Millennium Items have been sealed away forever. And the Shadow Games have finally come to an end," said Ishizu.

"So this is the end?" Tristan asked. "Feels weird."

"What were you guys expecting?" Max asked.

"Fireworks, sappy music, something," Joey replied.

Kaiba faced Yugi and asked him, "Why don't you wrap things up with a catchy moral, Yugi?"

Yugi nodded. "Well, sometimes the end of one adventure is just the beginning of another," he said strongly.

Max saw that Emily was still crying. "Emily, are you all right?"

She had to tell her the truth. "No, Max," she answered softly. "I'm not all right." She faces the sky and manages to smile. "But I will be," she promised. As Emily saw the clouds in the sky, she thought to herself, _Father, my heart, that's where you'll always be._ And she placed her hand over her chest.

Yugi shared the same thoughts she did and knew Atem would always be with them. And they would always have each other. Yugi and Emily held each other's hands and sighed. Bakura and Max did the same thing and wondered what the future would hold for them. Kaiba and Joey faced each other with tears and smiled.


	25. Epilogue

Epilogue

The journey was finally over and everyone was ready to return home to Domino. They bid the Ishtars 'goodbye' and took Kaiba's personal plane home. When they got to the airport, they were all greeted by Serenity and the bikers. Serenity jumped on her brother and hugged him and Joey hugged his sister back too. Valon jumped and he and Max high-fived each other. Alister shook Kaiba's hand and patted Mokuba and Rebecca on their heads. As usual, Rafael was ecstatic to see Emily and began smothering her, which, of course, Yugi and Téa didn't like at all. Even Tristan and Duke began bickering about their love for Serenity, which caused Joey to start fighting with them too. Seeing everyone go about with their friendly ways made Solomon wish he was young again.

Weevil and Rex continued boasting that one was better than the other. To prove who the better duelist was, they decided to face each other in a duel. Mako Tsunami still hasn't given up on looking for his father. On one trip, he met up with Esper Roba and his kid brothers and decided to play a friendly game of Duel Monsters. As Mai Valentine continued to travel the world looking for something new and exciting, she came to China and met up with Vivian Wong and now they were dueling the Paradox brothers on top of the Great Wall. Zigfried and Leon haven't given up on boosting their company's public image. They still try to come up with a way to negotiate a partnership with Pegasus.

The heroes are still heroes. The Millennium Items may have been sealed away, but the Star itself still lives on. This means that great adventures are still awaiting Yugi and his friends. For now, they could return to their normal lives and look forward to what each new day would bring them.

"This story may be ending," Yugi says as he joins his friends on the path to school, "but my story is just beginning." It's true; life doesn't just end right now. No, there will be more surprises in store as Yugi and his friends continue to look back and move ahead. But for now, this story has a happy ending and the heroes have a bright future ahead.


End file.
